2011

Painted portrait by Steve Eichenberger, acrylic on panel, 17 x 22. Click on photo above for close-up (may need to click again on the next screen to get full size).

I may continue to fine tune this painting, but I’ve been working on it for so long I wanted to post it at this near-complete stage for a sense of progress! This was a challenging project for me, I learned a lot from doing it. I took other, easier-to-paint photos of Rosey as well, but there was something about the overall composition and expression that made me want to paint this one, so I went for it. The receding angle of the hand was a challenge, as well as the wonderfully curly hair. It’s always daunting to face such things, I just have to dive in and paint *something*…and then keep revising that something to look gradually better and better until some part of me says “OK” (or sometimes “Uncle!”).

I couldn’t get rid of all the distracting reflections on the glossy background when taking the above photo with the point and shoot camera I normally use for blog shots. May have to break down and actually set up our photo room with strobes, diffusers etc. to get a better shot.

90% complete, working from photos I took of R.D. a few weeks ago in my studio.

Painted portrait by Steve Eichenberger, acrylic on panel, 17 x 26.

Thanks to .mosa for permission to use his photo (below) as reference.

Acrylic portrait of Marc Anthony by Steve Eichenberger, on 15-3/4 x 19-1/2 panel, using another photo by Damon Winter as reference (below, and previous entry).

I experimented with glazing this time: brown tinted glaze on yellow background and face (except for eyes); yellow tinted glaze on shirt.

Matt Damon practice portrait by Steve Eichenberger
acrylic on panel, 14 x 20-3/4

Reference photo from magazine cover (Fast Company, July/August 2011 issue) used by kind permission of New York Times photographer Damon Winter.

Yes, unfortunately it’s been awhile since I’ve had a chance to post anything… Travel, moving our handmade tile studio (again!), and other art related busy-ness has required all my waking hours for the past couple of months. As far as I know there are no further crises looming, but in these strange times — who knows?!? Better paint while I can.

Acrylic portrait on panel by Steve Eichenberger, 11-5/8 x 14-3/8 SOLD

I completed this portrait in a homestead farmhouse in Nebraska while on a road trip through several beautiful Western states last month. When I returned home, I e-mailed the above photo of it to the subject, who is an artist friend in Seattle; here’s what he had to say about it: “OK I am really speechless, or was, but now have more to say.  That is really, really cool – almost Van Gogh-like in the colors and contrasts.  I  am thrilled to see this as I have never had a painting done of me and to tell you the truth would not trust many artists to do a painting of me as I am pretty shy about having pictures, images of me taken.  Fantastic work!  Can I show off your work to people? … I’ll be following your blog.”

I took the above reference photo in my studio with natural north light, positioning the subject to get just the right amount of light on his right eye.

Custom portrait commission, approx. 16 x 22 acrylic on panel by Steve Eichenberger.

This was fun to do because it was a surprise commission for the recipient (the subject). I hear he was honored.

The symbology has to do with his middle name, which connotes strength and deep-rootedness. A large underpainted root system (not evident in the photo) can be seen in the dark lower section when viewing the original if you know it’s there, further supporting the symbology of C’s middle name.

Acrylic painting on panel, by Steve Eichenberger

“First Day at the Dog Park” SOLD

approx 13 x 26

(keep clicking on photo for close-up)

Based on a photo I took the other day at Luscher Farms dog park in Lake Oswego. He looks like a little bear.