portrait

On portraits and attributes

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Jessica, 60 x 80 cm, acrylic on canvas, ©2007 Julie Galante. I’ve been thinking a lot about attributes recently. In portraiture, an attribute is an object included to help the viewer identify the subject, or to communicate something about the subject. Artists’ self portraits often include paint brushes or a palette, for example. Catholic saints are … Read more

Daily painting: quick portrait

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Nani, oil on canvas board, 30 x 24 cm, ©2011 Julie Galante. [SOLD] These days I’m mostly working on Munich scenes, trying to get several more paintings completed before my Open Studio at the end of the month. But no matter how hard I try to stay focused, I always crave variety in what I’m … Read more

Portrait in progress: Emily on the tube

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Em on the tube (in progress), oil on canvas, 70 x 50 cm. For this portrait I’m working from a photo I snapped with my iphone while riding the tube in London with my friend Emily. The florescent lighting of the subway car combined with the flash from the iphone created a slightly eerie, strangely-colored … Read more

Portrait: Jen

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oil on canvas, 40 x 50 cm. After I last shared this painting in progress, it started looking too similar to another recent portrait. To combat that, I decided to work with some different colors, especially in the face. I like taking creative liberty when it comes to skin tones.

Portrait in progress: Jen

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Even when I’m not posting them here, I often take photographs of my works in progress as part of my process. Seeing a photo of a piece helps me evaluate it with different eyes and make decisions about where I need to go next. In person, I was getting frustrated with this piece because it … Read more

New portrait: Uwe

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I’ve reached a stopping point on this one and I’m almost ready to declare it done. It’s painted on a canvas covered in roughly-applied, unsanded gesso, and at this point the image seems to fit the support. I’m happy with the texture. Feedback welcome! There are a couple spots I think need tweaking, but it … Read more

Portrait in progress: Kim

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I’m starting to like where this one is going, although I need to figure out the background. Usually I leave the background rather abstract in my portraits. It’s the rendering of the face that interests me, but I need to care about the entire composition. The canvas is 50 x 60 cm. Any suggestions?