100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Phil, 97/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 97

This is Phil who looks like he is standing outside somewhere in the West. I don't normally put a landscape in the background of the portraits, but this one just sort of crept in there. I simplified it a lot because I wanted the portrait to be about the face more than the background.
For purchase information, please see my website.

Many people have expressed to me how sad they are to see this project end. I've decided to continue doing portraits, but now, if you submit a photo, I will paint it and you will be obligated to purchase it. The price for a 6x6 portrait will be $1oo plus $10 shipping/handling.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Campbell, 96/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 96

Campbell is such a little beauty. I can see her in about 10 years becoming a stunning young lady. In the first version of this portrait the reference photo had her left ear cropped off, so I just painted it with her hair pretty much covering it. It wasn't until I uploaded the ref photo here that I saw that her left ear actually showed. I had to go back and wipe off the hair and paint that blue ear in.
For purchase information, please see my website.

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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I have an art show coming up next weekend. I am going to bring 20 older portraits to the show and they must be for sale. If you have not purchased your portrait yet and intend to purchase it, please complete the transaction before next Thursday, 4-29. All the portraits are on my website with Paypal buttons.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Lynn, 95/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 95

This is a beautiful photo of Lynn with the sunlight slanting across her face. I loved painting her auburn hair and amber glasses. There was one problem I could not solve. The amber lenses in her glasses have a blue, iridescent glow along the top. I tried every blue in my paint box and could not match that color.
For purchase information, please see my website.

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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I have an art show coming up next weekend. I am going to bring 20 portraits to the show and they must be for sale. If you have not purchased your portrait yet and intend to purchase it, please complete the transaction before next Thursday, 4-29. All the portraits are on my website with Paypal buttons.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Ishrath 3, 94/100, Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 94

This is the third portrait from the photos sent to me a couple months ago and taken by Ishrath in her travels in her native India. I was so intrigued by this photo, I wanted to paint it right away, but I made myself wait. This gentleman has such an interesting face and turban. I wonder how his day to day life differs from my own. A great deal, I bet.
For purchase information, please see my website.

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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I have an art show coming up next weekend. I am going to bring 20 portraits to the show and they must be for sale. If you have not purchased your portrait yet and intend to purchase it, please complete the transaction before next Thursday, 4-29. All the portraits are on my website with Paypal buttons.

Metals and Mixed Media workshop in Aurora, CO

Yesterday I was at a marketing seminar all day, so I thought I would post a photo of the group that attended my Metals and Mixed Media workshop in Aurora, CO last weekend. No, your eyes are not going bad.
I took this pic with my new 12 mp camera, but I forgot to change the settings on the camera and it was set for extreme closeup which I use for the portrait photos. Duh. Live and learn.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Kristeena, 93/100, Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 93

Kristeena is caught up in the spirit of this portrait series and told me to go wild with her coloring. I think she is the first one I've given totally purple hair. I think it looks good on her actually.
For purchase information, please see my website.

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Drum roll:::::::::::::The portrait with the most votes in the group of 81-90 is FERD!!!!!
Most people who chose Ferd cited the extraordinary color I used on this portrait. It is pretty wild, but I think it looks good.

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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: I have an art show coming up next weekend. I am going to bring 20 portraits to the show and they must be for sale. If you have not purchased your portrait yet and intend to purchase it, please complete the transaction before next Thursday, 4-29. All the portraits are on my website with Paypal buttons.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Mandy, 92/100, Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 92

OK, I've got to set the scene here. Catherine Yockers (74/100) has her knitting business making custom hand knit hats and other items. Click here to visit her Etsy shop. She sometimes calls on daughter Mandy and even the dog Molly to model her creations.

So here we have Mandy modeling a wool hat, in the summer, and not looking too happy about it. The look on Mandy's face looks so disgruntled that I smiled to myself the whole time I was painting her. It's more/less the same look I got from my daughters whenever they were told to do something they had no interest in doing such as cleaning their rooms, weeding the garden, picking strawberries, etc. Gotta love it.

For purchase information, please see my website.

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Voting for your favorite portrait in group 81-90 ends tonight. Send you choice to carolnelsonfineart@comcast.net.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Renee, 91/100, Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 91

This is Renee, wife of Jim, 80/100. Jim sent in this photo of Renee saying she was really a fun person and I could go wild with her portrait. Well, it's not often one gets a photo this expressive! I knew there would be a fine line between making her expression look like one who is unabashedly joyful, and one who is putting her hand in a bucket of tarantulas. I know, because I had that exact look at the Butterfly Pavilion when I let a tarantula crawl on my hand.
I'm going with the joyful expression. Maybe she just found out she won the Cutest Redhead contest. Whatever it was, she looks really happy. For purchase information, please see my website.

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Don't forget to VOTE. Voting for portraits 81-90 (Ethel - Linda) will end Friday evening. So far, only one vote separates the top three.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Linda, 90/100, Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 90

I like this portrait of Linda because of the colors. I know you can't see it so well in the photo, but the original reference photo has yellow color notes on the left side, lavender color notes on the right, and a touch of pale blue from above. I used more subtle colors on her face, but I really emphasized them in the background.
I have a fall bouquet of silk flowers that has gold, deep magenta and purple flowers that would look beautiful with this painting's color scheme. For purchase information (the portrait, not the flowers) please see my website.

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Obviously, my computer is fixed and now working perfectly. I will be much more careful about turning it off/on to try to fix issues as they arise. My Computer Guy is the son of a gal I play tennis with. His name is Tim Louden of Business Technologies of Denver. I told him I wanted to adopt him, so I could get the family rate. LOL I recommend Tim, should you live in the Denver area and have need of a Computer Guy.

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Linda is 90/100, so that completes the next to last group of ten. Please review portraits 81 - 90 (Ethel - Linda) and let me know your favorite. This is going to be, perhaps, the toughest choice yet. Email your VOTE to carolnelsonfineart@comcast.net and THANKS for your vote.

computer issues

Yesterday, when I got back from giving a workshop, I checked my email. I could not pull it up because it said it was endlessly "indexing messages." My solution for computer issues is to turn it off and on. (Don't do this.)

That didn't fix the email problem. Then I couldn't get on the internet at all. A couple more off/ons and suddenly my mouse stopped working. I called Comcast to reset the modum. Still no mouse, internet or email. Time to call the Computer Guy.

It turns out that the problem was the router. It was only operating at 20% speed. My husband's laptop, which I am on now, was also slow as molasses. Computer Guy fixed router, but all my off/ons had damaged my hard drive in the area of mouse brains.

Windows 7, in it's infinite wisdom, makes some files so protected that even Computer Guy could not access it even as system manager. End result is that he had to TAKE my computer to the shop. So I'm dead in the water for a couple days, but I'm still painting!!

Should have gotten a Mac.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Ferdinand, 89/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 89

This is Ferdinand, husband of Kim, 88/100. I absolutely LOVE how Ferd turned out. Not to sound like a broken record, but that is really fantastic lighting in the reference photo. I especially like the reflected light on the shadow side. This is a great example of the darkest shadow being right next to the edge of the light. I used a mixture of prussian blue and paynes gray in that dark stripe down the middle of Ferd's face.
Ferd did present a few problems. He's wearing those almost invisible eyeglasses where you only see the top of the frame. Also, he doesn't have a full beard, but he's not clean shaven either - just a hint of stubble. I think those problems were worked out and I'm very pleased with the result.
This painting is sold.

Tomorrow I'm giving a workshop all day, so I don't think I'll get a new portrait done. It will be good to keep this portrait up for a couple days anyhow. Have a great weekend.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Kim, 88/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 88

Canadian artist Kim Blair is today's portrait. The hallmark of Kim's beautiful work is vibrant color and organic subjects, especially flowers, fruits and veggies. Kim told me to be wild with her hair color, so I told her that I saw blue hair in her future - also pink and purple.
For purchase information, please see my website.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Randy, 87/100, Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 87

This is Randy, husband of Kay, (51/100). This is a great reference photo with the bright sun highlighting the planes of his face. A photo like that makes my job easy. His eyes, however, are in such deep shadow that I couldn't make them out, even with a magnifying glass.
I use a magnifying glass on many of the photos. It has revealed critical little details on more than one portrait. For purchase information, please see my website.

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100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Henry, 86/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 86
This is Henry, who looks like he just stepped out of a Norman Rockwell painting. I love the colors in the photo. The red hair, the green background, the blue on the shaded side of his face - it all combined for a great portrait.
For purchase information, please see my website.

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Monday night I gave a critique for the Aurora Artists Guild here in Colorado. Members brought a painting to be judged in separate categories for beginner, intermediate, advanced and professional levels. After I chose the winners in each group, I talked about each painting and what it's strengths and weaknesses were to the group.
When I was a less experienced artist, I always loved an honest critique of my work. I never wanted to hear vague platitudes about my work, I wanted the nuts and bolts about what was incorrectly done and how to improve it.
There's always a danger that a sensitive person could take constructive criticism PERSONALLY. An artist needs to develop a thick skin about their work and be willing to learn from mistakes. After all, there are no mistakes, only learning opportunities.
I guess my talk was informative, without being too critical, because they all seemed to enjoy the discussion.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Jill, 85/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 85

This is artist Jill Polsby. I should have included the whole photo Jill sent me. She was plein air painting in Utah when this photo was taken and there is a lovely scene in the background.

I told Jill she was wearing the hat from hell (from my perspective). If you click on the photo to enlarge it, you'll see all this texture in the fine weave of the hat. I tried different things to try to replicate that texture but failed miserably.
For purchase information, please see my website.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Cathleen, 84/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 84

This is the beautiful Cathleen. I liked painting her hair, but would have needed a 16x20 size canvas to get it all in. She has really, really blue eyes and I'm not sure if I even had that color in my paint box. For purchase information, please see my website.

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I went to a retirement party over the weekend where I saw many people I used to work with, but haven't seen in a long time. I was surprised that every one there had aged a bit except me. Funny how that happens.....

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Vern, 83/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 84

Vern Schwarz is a fine artist I met on the Different Strokes from Different Folks blog. He looks so serious in this photo I was tempted to put a flower behind his ear or something. To visit Vern's blog, click here.
For purchase information, please see my website.

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Voting was very tight this time, but we have a winner by one vote: SAUNDRA, 75/100. Saundra is normally an exuberant person, and this ought to send her over the top! LOL

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Elsie, 82/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 82

I know you can't tell from the photo, but sweet little Elsie has these incredible eyelashes. Eyelashes are very difficult to paint realistically because they always look like you painted them on (duh!). For purchase information, please see my website.


Today is the last day to vote for your favorite of portraits 71-80. Check them out and send me your vote at carolnelsonfineart@comcast.net.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Ethel, 81/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 81

This is 94 year old Ethel, but her family knows her as Momma. I absolutely loved painting this photo. The lighting, her hat, her purple parka with a zipper, and that sweet little smile - it all made for a great portrait.
For purchase information, please see my website.

Note: I just learned that this sweet lady passed away and her funeral was 3 days ago. I hope this painting will be a comfort to Momma's family.

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Remember to VOTE. Voting is going on for portraits 71 - 80. Let me know who your favorite is.
carolnelsonfineart@comcast.net

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Jim, 80/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 80

This is Jim, who looks like he just mounted his horse. He sure looks like a cowboy in this photo. There is great lighting on his face and I think this is the first portrait I've done with a clear blue sky in the background. For purchase information, please see my website.

This completes another group of ten, so you know what that means. TIME TO VOTE. Please email me your favorite between portraits 71 (Connie) to 80 (Jim.) Send your vote to carolnelsonfineart@comcast.net before 10pm on Saturday.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Liz, 79/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 79

You might have noticed I sometimes like to put wild, unexpected colors in my portraits. This photo of Liz came with the blue hair already in it!!! And who hasn't relished that first bite of a soft serve cone? I just HAD to paint this one.
For purchase information, please see my website.

On Facebook, a fellow named Alp Ozelmas has been noticing my portrait posts. He is an incredible portrait artist from what I see of his Facebook picture. He painted a version of me from my Facebook pic and it's really amazing. Follow this link to see it.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Frank, 78/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 78

This is Wisconsin artist and educator, Frank Juarez. When I did Frank's portrait, I thought I would try letting the underpainting show through on the bottom.
I subscribe to several art magazines (The Artist Magazine, International Artist, Southwest Art, and American Art Collector). I think these magazines have their finger on the pulse of what's contemporary in American art. I see a lot of portraits done many different styles. One style is to have the face very detailed and fully finished while the rest of the portrait very loose and sketchy. Often you will even see bare canvas showing through.
A 6x6 format is not really large enough to show this style of painting, but I did a little of it on the bottom of this portrait. See how the shirt just fades away? I can't say letting bare canvas show is my cup of tea. Proponents of this style say it lets the viewer see the process. As a viewer, I want to see the complete painting and if I want to see the process I'll go to the artist's studio and watch!
For purchase information, please see my website.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Jen, 77/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 77

This is Jen.  She is the wife of David, 70/100.  As easy as it was to paint David, Jen was difficult.  I think the extreme angle on the shaded side of the face contributed to the difficulty - there's just not a lot of room to get the details in.  For purchase information, please see my website.

My portrait project has spawned a similar, but fundamentally different effort by fabulous daily painter Suzanne Berry.  Check out her blog to find out about her "floating faces."

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Jake, 76/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 76
This is Jake, who lives in Australia.  I loved all his laugh lines.  He looks like he laughs a lot.  I decided to paint the background pretty much as it is in the photo because I like the linear quality of it with large blocks of neutral colors.
For purchase information, please see my website.

100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Saundra, 75/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art

Day 75

This is Saundra Lane Galloway, a fine artist, enthusiastic blogger, and good friend.  Not that I'm counting, but this is the third painting in a row with a knitted hat or scarf.  They are fun to paint if you don't stress out about it and try to get each stitch to show.
Be sure to check out Saundra's blog (click on her name) because she always has something interesting going on.
For purchase information, please see my website.

Day 75 - that means I'm 3/4 done.  YEA!!!!

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Exciting news: I have created an account with Fine Art America. Now you can order prints of paintings I have already done. FAA is a really cool site that gives YOU control over how you want your print to look - on stretched canvas, matted and framed, or rolled in a tube. You can also order photo note cards. So far I have only uploaded portraits 1-50. More will be posted soon.

Did you buy a portrait and wish you had two so you could share it with someone? The prints might be the way to go. Want some VERY personalized note cards? The prints would make excellent gifts. Click on the Fine Art America widget on the sidebar to the right.