Sold and Commissioned

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Landscapes

Spiritual & Relational

Commission Painting 2025

Sue with SueToYou.com,asked me to create a painting of her Ministry of Movement class. Please see her blog about this painting at this link. She had discovered a flea market painting of ballerinas and wanted something in a similar spirit. The piece reminded me of Degas, though it was unfinished—muted colors, distorted figures, and a horizontal layout that felt off-balance to me.

Sue had a vision. She wanted to include the dancers and the large arched windows of the old church Sanctuary where the classes takes place. The new Sanctuary now serves for worship, leaving this older, light-filled space open for gatherings and dance. She hoped the painting would capture the joy and vitality of her friends, using the same vibrant reds and blues from my Jazz Dancers piece. The cross-shaped window moldings were especially meaningful to her, a quiet symbol of faith woven into the scene.

The painting was meant as a 70th birthday gift for their instructor—a woman whose strength and spirit continue to inspire the group, especially after recently losing her husband.

For me, this project became something deeper. It brought back memories of my mother painting my portrait when I was six or seven—standing still in pink leotards and ballet shoes, hands in ballet pose and feet parallel with heels touching for what felt like endless hours and endless days. Her painting never pleased her; she thought my face too stiff, my arms too long and the painting a bit lifeless. It traveled with us for years from move to move, always hidden away, until it eventually vanished.

With Sue’s painting, I wanted to honor both the grace of ballet and the exuberance of the Ministry of Movement class—figures distinct yet moving as one. I began with a layer of gold foil to form the Sanctuary windows, a bold and nerve-wracking start. Then I sketched each dancer carefully, refining their proportions and gestures. Transferring them to the canvas and oil paint to depict energy  and movement until they felt alive within the sacred light of that space. Sue who has a daily blog also wrote about this experience for me in such an amazing and touching way here at this link.

Commission Painting of a Wedding Reception

My friend Gwen asked me to paint the scene of a wedding reception she was performing at. At the time live painting was popular. The Mother of the Bride wanted to give the painting as a gift to her daughter and new son-in-law. I agreed, and it turned out to be quite the lesson in capturing the energy of a big party while painting live on a 42″ canvas amidst all the festivities!

The reception was held at the Mother’s back yard in Atlanta, Georgia. Gwen and her band was performing to the left of me as we were stationed on the patio next to the swimming pool. The whole area was decorated with balloons and decoy ducks. Everyone was dancing and having a good time as I tried to capture the scene on canvas with oils.

Portraits and Studies for the Poolside Wedding Reception Painting

Before and after painting the reception painting, I gathered friends and family to see if portrait painting would be something to pursue, especially bands, parties or wedding reception painting. Here are some of the paintings that were produced for that exercise. My patient family and friends who were gifted these works were wonderful to let me work on this project.