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Portrait Paintings of the Marsden Family

by In Portrait Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Finishing up my latest Monthly Miniature of Olwyn Marsden, I thought it would be fun to see a portrait I painted of her when she was little, along with portrait paintings of her parents and don’t forget the dog! Nippy has sadly passed, but his joy of car-rides lives on. All of these paintings are in the Marsden collection. Go to Tim Marsden’s website to see his artwork.

Mother Daughter Double sided, interactive oil Painting on Copper by Seattle artist Rebecca Luncan

Transfiguration 20, Mother & Daughter
oil on rotating copper panels (double sided painting)
7.5″ x 5″ x 3.5″ (framed)

 

Portrait of an artist Double sided, interactive oil Painting on Copper by Seattle artist Rebecca Luncan

Transfiguration 21 
oil on rotating copper panels (double sided painting)
7.5″ x 5″ x 3.5″ (framed)

 

Long haired dachshund oil painting

Nippy, Oil on aluminum, 5 1/4″ x 9 1/2″

The portrait paintings of Tim, Sandy and Olwyn are from a series of interactive paintings. The viewer can spin a small knob at the underside of the shadowbox frame and spin the image to view another painting on the other side. You can see more of these paintings in my interactive painting gallery.

The portrait of Nippy was a finalist in the 2016 ARC Salon Competition.

Octagonal Frame for a Miniature Family Portrait Painting

by In Portrait Tagged , , , , , , , ,
Family portrait painting in miniature, oil on aluminum by Rebecca Luncan

Family Portrait of Heather, Courtney and Olivia, oil on aluminum, 6″ x 4.75″

Inspired by a 17th century artwork through 21st century social media

I’m always on the lookout for new ideas not only for what I’m painting, but also for framing. When Richard Christie, picture framer of the Cotswolds in the UK, posted an image of a painting on Instagram, I gasped aloud. I had been debating how to frame the miniature family portrait painting above and I instantly knew this was “The One!”. My delight was due to a beautiful frame worthy of a truly spectacular little painting (pictured below) of “A Winter Scene with Skaters near a Castle”. Painted by Hendrick Avercamp over four hundred years ago, it’s the inspiration for the frame I made for the commission, “Family Portrait of Heather, Courtney and Olivia”.

antique_frames Instagram post, A Winter Scene with Skaters near a Castle. By Hendrick Avercamp about 1608. Seen in the National Gallery. #antiqueframe

Posted by: antique_frames, A Winter Scene with Skaters near a Castle. By Hendrick Avercamp about 1608. Seen in the National Gallery.

Bringing out the details with subtle framing

Dutch style frames are a particular favorite of mine because I find that they lend a formality without adding distraction. The dark, wide and simple profile brings my eye into the details of the image and helps keep it there. I’m also happy to find that the geometric shape of the frame draws my eye around the arms and hands of the loving family encircling one another.

 

Detail of hands, Family portrait painting in miniature, oil on aluminum by Rebecca Luncan

Detail of hands, oil on aluminum

Instagram for inspiration

I have a wide array of interests and they are all covered on Instagram. Among the folks I follow, there are visual artists, picture framers, musicians, weavers, farmers, and family members. You never know how or when inspiration will hit and it’s always fun to take a break and see what people are up to. If you’re on Instagram I hope you’ll check out my account!

On the Easel: A Family Portrait in Miniature

by In In Progress Tagged , , , ,

Smith-family

 

Painting an eye about the size of a grain of rice takes quite a lot of concentration.

Though I usually like to have lots of paintings going at once, this August most of my time will be spent working on a miniature 5″ x 6″ family portrait. Once I had the underpainting finished, I realized this painting would take a lot of focus to finish. I’ve been using every spare minute to move this little portrait along, and as long as I keep holding my breath at just the right times, it looks like it will turn out nicely!

It’s almost done, so check back soon to see the finished piece!