Below is a portrait I did for my girlfriend Tara of her children & dog. Anyone who knows me well, knows I shy away from doing portraiture – I tend to feel that if a camera can do it better why mess with perfection? But the way the first piece (Younger Grace & RJ Russel) came together, I truly enjoyed the experience and its uniqueness as it captures not only the subject’s image, but also gets them involved in the process.

It started with me meeting Grace & RJ (Tara’s children) and playing in the paint putting down their hands & feet all around the border of the canvas. I chose the colors based on Tara’s interior which has a lot of earth tones. While visiting with the kids I took photos, trying to get candid shots that truly expressed their amazing personalities!

After having my fun getting messy with the kids I took the canvas and my photos and put together this composition. I believe it does 3 things:

1. Records the size of their hands and feet at that time.
2. Captures a more dimensional image of their personality.
3. Tailors the colors to match the buyer’s interior

Commissioned portraiture starts at $1000 and are accepted on a case-by-case basis.

"Younger RJ
& Grace Russel"

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