While rummaging through the stacks of my stored paintings recently at Stone Lion Studio, I unearthed the portrait (below) of my mentor, the late, great Marvin Triguba of Lancaster, Ohio. This painting already dates back to the end of last century.  As I like to tell people: "This is a portrait of the guy who taught me how to paint like this." I had the good fortune to be able to study with this gentleman for about 10 years.  He had a wonderful painting pedagogy, and I think if one followed his advice precisely, the chances of painting successfully were very good, indeed. I still attend a weekly painting group in Lancaster which is a legacy of what Marvin (and his wife, Anne) started,  with many of the painters present also being Marvin's former students.

I just returned from Hayes Arboretum where I delivered 12 framed photographic prints of various works I have done over the years to display in the Nature Center. In honor of the arboretum's new auto tour program "Witch in the Woods". (See Hayesarboretum.org for more information), I included the portrait below I did in 2001. The subject was decked out in a sorceress's costume probably for Halloween. The original acrylic painting is 24" x 36", and this photo may well crop off the top and part of the bottom, but you get the idea! I recall it was fun doing this style, but in order for it to work, it seems that the subject necessarily needs to be 95% covered by their costume!