Art Class Portrait Demonstration

This study in oils began as a demonstration for an art class in portrait painting.
It was completed later in the studio on 3/6/12.

Oil Portrait - Unhappy Man

This face gave me an opportunity to try a different expression.  The reference photo was found in a magazine, photographer unknown.

Paintings I create from published photos are for practice only and not for sale or entry in art competitions.  When I know the name of the photographer, I am happy to cite it here. Painted 2/28/12 in about 5 hours.

A Pensive Gaze

This child was fascinating and fun to paint.  The skin tones in dark skin are beautiful and subtle.  I enjoyed capturing the cool colors in the reflected light on the left (our left) side of her face and warmer highlights on the right. Her attitude and expression were fun to paint as well.

Oil painting completed 2/14/12 in about 3 hours.

Beautiful Woman

The soft diffused light on this woman's face and her interesting smile made a fun study.
Completed in 3 hours on 1/17/12.

A Favorite

This man was a lot of fun.  One of those rare occasions when it seemed to paint itself! 
Completed in about 3 hours on 1/3/12.

My First Attempt

This is my first try, completed in about 90 minutes. 1/2/12

Movie Project

I recently finished a large commission for a movie, "Homeless For the Holidays" to be released this fall. Independent film producer, George A. Johnson, asked me to create a dozen paintings, including 7 portraits of some of the actors in the film. The art will be used for the opening title sequence.

This is the character "Adam" in the film. I had a lot of fun with this project. The challenge was to paint the personalities of the characters in the story, not merely the likeness of the actors.

"Staying Clean (Mostly)"

"Staying Clean (Mostly)" by Valorie Snyder, oils, 14 x 11

This little girl was a study of contrasts. While she enjoyed being a princess for a little while, she is an active outdoor kid, unaccustomed to worrying about her clothes. She reminded me of the way we attempt to present ourselves to the world as “having it all together,” while inside we often feel rumpled and crumpled and very much not together. But she wasn’t concerned about that—she was having too much fun!

In creating this painting, I decided to play up the contrasts. I contrasted her fancy dress by placing her in her preferred outdoor environment. The lighting, high and from behind, created natural contrasts which set the mood for this fleeting moment.

Because the view was frontal, I wanted to avoid a too-static composition. To create some movement, I used highlights to emphasize the diagonals in the angle of her shoulders and the lines of her dress. I also angled and varied the tree line in the background and angled the log slightly. I painted her dress loosely, to create movement and to create the feeling that she won’t be sitting still very long! (And she didn't).

Sisters and Friends

This pencil drawing (14 x 18) was great fun to do, as the girls were so sweet, friendly, and helpful. They commissioned the portrait, along with their dad, as a Christmas gift for their mother. I was impressed by this family, with their father's willingness to let his girls run with the project, and with their input and cooperation. It was truly a team effort. And their mother was thrilled with her surprise! Their father wrote:

"It was a pleasure to work with Valorie. The process was straightforward and I enjoyed watching our project develop. The final portrait is striking and so close to real it could be a picture of my daughters. It will hang in our house for many years. Thank You! "

" Marcus" oils, 20 x 24.

Mark commissioned this portrait as part of his legacy to his grandchildren. In creating the painting, I wanted to tell his grandchildren a bit of his life story. One of his interesting hobbies is building historically accurate model ships in wood. He knows the history of each ship he builds, along with a name and purpose of every part on it. (I told him that he has a great deal more patience in building his ships than I did in painting this one! He was happy to allow me to simply suggest the details he labored so hard to create.).

Mark enjoys travel, which inspired the map in the background. He also loves the old west and is a real maverick at heart, leading to his choice of the cowboy hat and bollo tie. I created a rather nostalgic mood with hazy lighting, as he reflects on his rich and full life.

Lifelong Friends

This family of lively boys, each so different in personality, became special to me. I enjoyed watching them grow as I did their portraits over a period of several years.

These drawings were all done in sepia colored pencil on a rough textured board. Each is 25" high by 16" wide. The boys' mother commissioned the portrait of each son, Tommy, Sam, and Jack, when he turned 3 years old.

Click on the pictures to see the texture of the board.