This portrait was commissioned by private collectors in Colorado.

It was my pleasure to work on this portrait with a wonderful couple living in a resort town in the Rocky Mountains. The three of us worked closely together to create the oil painting of Katie that now hangs in their beautiful home.

It is always my goal to find the balance between representational and impressionist qualities in my paintings, especially in portraiture. There is something in the looseness of the strokes that captures a little more of our humanity than an exact photo-real image.

The portrait was completed over a several month period. The process began with Katie sitting for the painting on four consecutive days for three hours (with plenty of breaks!) During these sessions, I completed several studies and took numerous digital photographs, all of which I used later in my studio to create the finished work.

On several occasions, I was in touch with the patrons to give progress updates by email. Once the painting was near completion, I shipped it for final viewing and then returned to their home for the finishing touches. It was truly a delight to hear Katie say during this final modeling session that she felt that she was now truly enjoying the process and result. Likewise, these finishing moments are the most exciting for me.

All of us were delighted with the final result!