Various Portraits

This collection of portrait paintings, created between 1995 and 2021, was inspired by friends, family, icons, and reimagined pornographic images.

Galiene

Galiene Dennenbroek is a Dutch artist and costume designer. When I first met her, I was immediately drawn to her person. You see, Galiene is very comfortable in her body, a state of being I have never personally experienced but have always longed to be. Over the years, I painted five portraits of her. She inspired some of my best efforts.

GALIENE #1
Oil on canvas
60 X 39"
GALIENE #2
Oil on canvas
70 X 45"
GALIENE #3
Graphite on paper
36.5 X 30.5"
GALIENE #5
Oil on canvas
48 X 40"
GALIENE #6
Oil on canvas
42 X 28"

Erskine

Erskine Melville has been visually impaired since childhood. I know him as a friend, healer, and seeker of truth and knowledge. This work reflects how I see his person: gentle, kind, and often contemplative. Although this painting began as a mirror image, the work eventually revealed itself in the study, as you see it here.

MIRROR IMAGE
Oil on canvas
8 X 10"
ERSKINE
Oil on canvas
36 X 26"

Jinji

I was looking for models when a friend introduced me to Jinji. She was a tall, exquisite-looking woman whose hair was always pulled tight. The day she came to sit for me, she dragged along a large suitcase full of hats and costumes. I painted her as I saw her: visually beautiful but shy and uncomfortable with her body and in a hat.

JINJI #1
2002-08
Oil on canvas
53 X 41"
JINJI #4
2010
Oil on cardboard mounted on panel
12 X 9.75"
JINJI #3 - DISTORTED ATTITUDE
2008
Oil on paper mounted on board
14 X 11"
JINJI #2
Oil on canvas

William

One day, I discovered William napping on the bluestone in the garden behind our house. Fast asleep, he used a shirt to cover his eyes to block the sun. He said he was lying on the ground because he couldn’t find a comfortable spot to rest in the house. Given his eccentricities, this still seemed extreme, but it inspired a painting.

RUTH

Ruth, a friend and occasional collaborator, posed for me wrapped in the American flag. Ruth truly hated this painting but it did inspire her to lose weight and dye her hair blonde. Over the years, our friendship faded and I no longer see Ruth in life or in this work.

AMERICAN BEAUTY
Oil on canvas
64.5 X 45"
ME AND MY DOLL
2008
Graphite and gesso on paper mounted on board
14 X 11"

Others

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER
Oil and mixed media on canvas
60 x 44"
AGNES
Oil on Arches watercolor paper
60 X 51"
REGGIE
Oil on canvas
41 X 41"
PURPLE GIRL
Oil on Arches watercolor paper on panel
DAVID
Oil on canvas
60 X 39"
…RAVAGED
Oil on canvas
32.5 X 26.5"