My Latest Subject for the Divine in Each Person - Introducing Kat

I'd like to introduce my latest subject who is also a wonderful friend of mine, Catherine Marshall, or Kat, as she likes to be called.  We first met in grade school at recess, and many years later she contacted me because of how much she enjoyed my art, even in those early days, and how she was inspired by me even then.  How nice it was to be remembered for my art at such an early age!

Since then we have done one portrait commission together, but Kat has also posed and participated in The Divine in Each Person series for some beautiful reference pictures that I am so excited about painting, and yet I am continuing to work also with pictures of several other participants, including Terry, Kimberly, and Arlynne, and hoping to work with two other models soon, who are Sandra and Ana. 

Above is the start of my drawing planned for an egg tempera and oil with gilding panel of Kat, but there is more to this drawing not yet rendered which I will share in another post very soon I hope, reflecting symbolically some of Kat's experiences in the spiritual world and in the here and now too.

Many Aspects Within My Portrait of Mike and Lil

Lil and I with her portrait in progress, and below,

with Mike and Lil, my former husband and mother-in-law.

Here is the wisteria gate leading in and out of the gardens at Mike and Paul's home which will provide inspiration for the wisteria vine around the outer portion of the panel, and I am hoping to include a Heaven-on-Earth pink rose and two buds to represent Mike's two sisters and his father, a wonderful photographer who took the picture which inspired this work of art.  Below is the painting in it's most recent stage and beneath it the photo by Mike's father, now deceased since Mike was 12 years old.  More work still to be done on the figures as well, but I am really enjoying the experiences connected with working on this one, and hope you have enjoyed this review on it's background too.

An update and more progress on Lil and Mike

                                         

A detail from the portrait

 My portrait of Lil and Mike in progress, with more on the figures and background still to come

I've been working more slowly on work this year due to several health concerns, including some heart surgery for a congenital arrhythmia in late April, but here is one of the projects I count very special, still in progress.  There will be a garden-like background behind the figures in the inset portion of the panel, and we are also considering a wisteria vine, which as a symbol will take the figures in one way forward in time, and in another way, outside of time.  More on it as soon as I can return to work on this one, and here is a new website for my work in portraiture in general that will launch officially this summer -- a sneak peek in progress for you here:  monaconner.com

More Progress with the portrait of Lil and Mike

Click on the image for a larger view of the portrait in progress

Another update on my portrait of Lil and Mike, which is being painted
in oil over gold leaf.

A peek at my progress with the portrait of Lil and Mike

portrait of Lil and Mike Campbell, in progress

Lil and Mike Campbell

Here is my preparatory drawing for the painting of Lil and Mike Campbell.  I welcome all comments on the spiritual content of my art and of this blog, as well as comments on the physical content.  Please see my previous post for more on this one.