In the Studio- painting "Matthew"

This is the first of a number of entries that will feature what's happening in my studio. This portrait is a pastel on paper (Canson Mi Tientes) of the youngest of three beautiful children I'm painting in Maryland. Matthew is sweet and inquisitive. Unlike his siblings' portraits, I decided to keep his background simple for a look of innocence. I really like the result.

Though at any given moment I have a plethora of ideas swirling in my head, on my easels I usually only have a few works at a time that I'm working on. I like to devote my time completely to pulling a painting together, for my work is more the result of a series of solutions to "problems" or better said, "challenges". The first challenge is to somehow transport the wonderful imagery in my mind to the blank canvas before me on my easel. Most artists will agree that this is one of the most intimidating points of the painting process- starting with that big blank nothing to begin the something that we have painted so beautifully and perfectly in our minds. Somewhere, between the nothing and the- hopefully- beautiful result an amazing process takes place in the artist's mind. This is what I absolutely love and thrive on as an artist. I love it. I love the challenge, even the struggle. I am not trying to conquer the canvas, but instead seek to display its potential.