Love Portrait Commission

The process

From first sketch to finished painting.

1. First post · March 1, 2026

   

   Beginings... When this commission first landed on my easel, I knew instinctively it had to be about my son. Lately, fatherhood has been a profound mirror; watching a toddler move through the world has reawakened a felt sense of joy and presence that I think many of us spend our adult lives trying to reclaim. This portrait is my attempt to capture that witnessing—a visual remembrance of the mystery and wonder we all carry, yet so often lose touch with as we grow. Exploring the Path: Two Directions Before landing on the final direction for this portrait, I was toying with two primary concepts. The first was a boy by a river, a nod to Siddhartha and our relationship to the flow of time. I was fascinated by the idea that if we let time dissolve as a construct, we can instantly return to the "quality of mind" an innocent child inhabits. It’s a beautiful, meditative thought, but ultimately, a second direction felt more vital and "alive" to me. I found myself rooted in the image of a boy entering a makeshift shelter in the woods, venturing into the depths of the unknown. Living here in the Pacific Northwest, this isn’t just a metaphor; it’s a lived experience I continue to have with my son. There is something profoundly raw about a child’s bravery in the face of the forest’s mystery. I decided to follow that trail. The digital sketches I’m sharing here are my "initial scribes." At this stage, I keep the composition light and open. I’m not holding the design too tightly yet; I’m simply looking for the first sparks of movement and feeling before the paint hits the canvas. Next up. I'll share my color study process.

2. Stage 2 · March 1, 2026

   

   The Threshold: From Reference to Color Study Once the direction was clear...The boy at the threshold of the makeshift shelter, the real work of "resourcing" began. I spent days in the woods around my home in Bellingham, documenting the specific textures of cedar bark and the way PNW light filters through a dense canopy. While I didn't build the structure myself, I found enough natural "architecture" in the forest to help me imaginatively construct the scene. My goal was a composition rooted in strong gesture and shape. I needed the shelter to feel like a deliberate gateway. After cobbling together my references and digital sketches, I moved into these two color studies. The Tension of the Unknown In these iterations, I was hunting for a very specific emotional frequency. I wanted to capture a "heaviness" that felt mysterious but not predatory. It’s a delicate tension: an atmosphere that might feel intimidating to a child, but to an adult feels alluring, curious, and magical. Iteration One: I explored a world of high-chroma mystery—bright, vibrating colors emerging from the behind him. Iteration Two: I leaned into a "dark tunnel" effect, peering into a deep unknown. In both, my son stands as a "threshold symbol", the bridge between the viewer and that forgotten quality of mind. These studies aren't just about color; they are an exploration of that essence. I’m asking myself: Which version best represents the gateway to childlike wonder?

3. Latest · March 11, 2026

   

   Crossing the Threshold: The First Marks After many iterations of my design process and much back-and-forth with Andrew to nail the emotional frequency, I finally landed on a value and color composition that felt right. The challenge remained: how to balance the deep, atmospheric mystery of the woods with the child's radiating innocence, inviting us in. With the vision solidified, I decided to "pull the trigger" on the scale. If you’re familiar with my work, you know I have an affinity for the monumental. I’ve committed to making this a life-size piece. There is a psychological shift that happens when a figure is scaled to the viewer; it ceases to be a mere image and becomes an invitation to physically cross the threshold into the world beyond. Returning to the Roots: The Underpainting For this piece, I am returning to my traditional roots with a classic monochromatic underpainting. My process begins with a warm, transparent wash to establish the general value shapes and lock in the shadows' temperature. What you see in these beginning stages is the foundational architecture. By starting with these broad value masses, I can build the form in subsequent sessions while ensuring the overall drama and light of the composition remain cohesive. It’s about setting the stage for the mystery to unfold.