Matthew Cook

The Artist in Profile - Oval Shaped Portrait Painting in Extraordinary Detail

2018

Full of texture and color, Lupkin depicts an emotional portrait of himself. The intricate color choices of light pinks and blues throughout the skin and background bring a somber fee...

Peter Lupkin utilizes his expressive paint style to bring this small scale self portrait to life. With pockets of color and texture throughout the face, the subject pops against a ne...

Mary Borgman’s work captivates the viewer in several ways. First is their scale. They hang like medieval tapestries, with figures standing as tall as eight feet. There is also their texture – created by using charcoal on Mylar, and the results are richly gestural, with distinct charcoal strokes and eraser marks animating the figure and ground alike. With a flat surface, she creates volume and life. And perhaps the most powerful of all, the viewer is caught be the gazes of the models, who stare forcefully out of the picture. They seem to be examining us every bit as much as we are examining them. These larger-than-life portraits stem from chance encounters that grow into meaningful connections between the artist and her subject. Most are strangers that she approaches on the street. They capture her attention with expressive eyes that show experience and wisdom, distinctive shapes and a casual body language. “I try to honor the people I am drawing by centering them in the format and shooting from slightly below their eye level. I choose an expression that exudes intelligence, self-awareness and complexity. I try to convey their humanness. I want the viewer to feel this person might be someone interesting to know”, says Borgman of her subjects. The intensity with which she conveys the eyes may stem from her many years of communicating in sign language, which is based on sustained eye contact. Borgman loves the directness of drawing. It is immediate, there is no lag time. There is no time waiting for the paint to dry. She works solely in charcoal which she can manipulate to achieve varying degrees of darkness and opacity. It is messy and the artist loves that. Mary Borgman Portrait of Justin Shanitkvich, 2022 charcoal on mylar 53h x 40w in 134.62h x 101.60w cm MBG009 [This work is custom framed in shadow box style with non-reflective Tru-Vue Museum Glass] FRAMED DIMENSIONS 55.25h x 42.50w x 2.25d in 140.34h x 107.95w x 5.71d cm Mary Borgman b. October 4, 1959 St. Louis, MO SELECTED EXHIBITIONS 2017 Grand Opening: Coming Attractions, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL 2013 SOFA Chicago 2013, Ann Nathan Gallery, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL Portraiture Now: Drawing on the Edge, National Portrait Gallery, Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR 2012 Portraiture Now: Drawing on the Edge, National Portrait Gallery, Washington D.C. SOFA Chicago 2012, Ann Nathan Gallery, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL SOFA NY, Ann Nathan Gallery, New York, NY 2011 Gallery Group Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL SOFA NY, Ann Nathan Gallery, New York, NY 2010 SOFA Chicago 2010: Special Installation at SOFA Café, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL What’s the Buzz on the Playground: Art of Today from St. Louis curated by Mary Sprague...

Twenty-first century Classical Portraiture has a casual feel as seen here in "Portrait of Benjamin" by Peter Lupkin. The very masculine Benjamin, with his heavy beard, dark tousled ...

Ale Casanova's "Captured Moment 2" is an original, handmade oil painting that depicts a portrait of a model with their hand under their chin. Alejandro ...

Ramonn Vieitez is a self-taught Brazilian artist who primarily utilizes painting as a field of creative possibility exploring themes such as identity, memory, and nature, compulsivel...

"Self-Portrait" (2015) by Michael DeVore is an original handmade oil portrait painting of the artist that measures at 12 x 10 inches framed and is ready...

Italian artist Alessandro Casetti's paintings metaphorically represent all the emotions, fears, and hopes that populate our daily life inside and ou...