"Gavin" in Unveiled at Christmas Party

It's always a fun time when we get the chance to "Unveil" a new painting.  Last night was an extra special occasion.  It was the annual Christmas Party of Jim and Bev Cosgrove at their beautiful home on Lake Conroe.  They are wonderful art patrons whose collection includes great pieces from the 1650's including the beautiful portrait of the mayor of Brugge over my left shoulder.  I modified my usual Venetian method to use the pigments and style of Vermeer in this painting to fit the Cosgrove's favorite period.  I was honored that they chose me to paint their grandsons Holy Communion portraits.  Previously I painted their oldest grandson "Owen".  

If you're interested in a commissioned portrait please contact me by clicking HERE!

Check out my website portraitsbyshep.com

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Girl With A Pearl Earring by Shep after Vermeer

I'm Back...to Blogging!  We had the greatest summer in Cloudcroft, New Mexico and I've never painted more in my life...or better I hope.  This painting "The Girl with A Pearl Earring" was Vermeer's Master Piece.  I think it might be mine also.  This is a Master Study and to complete the painting was the hardest and most rewarding painting I've ever done.  I did it for the Master's of the Fall Art Show at the Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas.  From the very beginning I tried to walk in Vermeer's shoes.

I had great help all along the way.  Brittany, the manager of Jerry's Artarama in Austin was an invaluable help in getting the pigments right.  When Donna and I saw "Girl..." in The Hague the first thing that catches you by surprise is that the background is NOT black.  It's a beautiful Green.  Not just any green but a green made by mixing Indigo and "Weld".  What color is Weld?  It's a very transparent yellow and when mixed with transparent Indigo makes an amazing Glaze.  What colors did Brittany come up with to create Weld?  She's probably forgotten and I'm taking it to the grave.

Even after completion I had help...which led to me realizing I was not finished.  I sent a picture to Geoffrey Laurence, the great Santa Fe Artist and a dear friend.  Geoff sent back a critique with two pages, single spaced, of things I didn't quite have correct.  I'm eternally grateful to Geoff for pushing me to be a lot better.  Plus, when taking Geoff's class he will tell you to NEVER glaze with white, but in his critique he introduced me to a unique Vermeer secret, "Overall softness by Vermeer was achieved by putting a very thin scumble of white over all the parts that are in the light then carefully glazing very small amounts of colour over the top and modeling it".  Thanks Geoff!

Shep  
Click HERE to see Shep's Website

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Girl With A Pearl Earring by Shep after Vermeer

I'm Back...to Blogging!  We had the greatest summer in Cloudcroft, New Mexico and I've never painted more in my life...or better I hope.  This painting "The Girl with A Pearl Earring" was Vermeer's Master Piece.  I think it might be mine also.  This is a Master Study and to complete the painting was the hardest and most rewarding painting I've ever done.  From the very beginning I tried to walk in Vermeer's shoes.

I had great help all along the way.  Brittany, the manager of Jerry's Artarama in austin was an invaluable help in getting the pigments right.  When Donna and I saw "Girl..." in The Hague the first thing that catches you by surprise is that the background is NOT black.  It's a beautiful Green.  Not just any green but a green made by mixing Indigo and "Weld".  What color is Weld?  It's a very transparent yellow and when mixed with transparent Indigo makes an amazing Glaze.  What colors did Brittany come up with to create Weld?  She's probably forgotten and I'm taking it to the grave.

Even after completion I had help...which led to me realizing I was not finished.  I sent a picture to Geoffrey Laurence, the great Santa Fe Artist and a dear friend.  Geoff sent back a critique with two pages, single spaced, of things I didn't quite have correct.  I'm eternally grateful to Geoff for pushing me to be a lot better.  Plus, when taking Geoff's class he will tell you to NEVER glaze with white, but in his critique he introduced me to a unique Vermeer secret, "Overall softness by Vermeer was achieved by putting a very thin scumble of white over all the parts that are in the light then carefully glazing very small amounts of colour over the top and modeling it".  Thanks Geoff!

Shep  
Click HERE to see Shep's Website

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Shep Wins BIG at CAL!

This years Spring Show for the Conroe Art League was a great one.  "Nerak" won 1st Professional Oil, and "Gondolier" won an Honorable Mention.  Nerak is a commission and Gondolier hangs in the stairway to my art studio in Bentwater.

To check out my web site please check HERE!

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Look what Shep's been doing!

It's been a beautiful winter, so far, and I've been doing a lot of painting.  

This is "Stages of Life".  

It was painted from a photo I took in Cloudcroft, New Mexico.

It's 18" x 24", Oil on Canvas, Framed, $695.  

This painting will be available at the Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas.

To check out more of work please Click HERE!

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Ultimate Shades of Grey!

This is one of two paintings I'm doing for the Gamblin Torrit Grey Competition.  It's a great competition that has few winners, so I'm not holding out great hope of winning.  But it is a fun challenge.  In the contest you can use only Gamblin products, and you're limited to Torrit Grey, which is made up of all the colors Gamblin mixes in a year, a black, and a white.  I used Zinc White and Ivory Black in addition to 2015 Torrit Grey.  I also used Gamsol with a drop of Stand Oil as a medium.

Title:  "Night Dance"

It's 16" x 18", Oil on hand stretched Linen, $500.

If you're interested please send me an email by clicking HERE!

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Shep's First Finished Paintings of Summer

This was fun!  It turned out to be a whole lot harder than I thought it was going to be to paint two almost identical paintings.  "Hello Darlin'" and "Leave Your Hat On" are 24" x 20", Oil on Canvas, Framed, $750/Each.

If you're interested in the pair, e-mail me HERE, for 20% off!

Check out my NEW Web Site NOW!  

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What Else I Did On My Summer Vacation

Here's week #2 of my Paint Like A Venetian Classes.  From El Paso came Bruce King and Evelyn Posey.  Bruce is an experienced Acrylic Artist and Evelyn was painting for the first time EVER!  Are these great or what!?  I was so proud of them...and me because I had never taught this class in Acrylics before.  It turned out well.

If you're interested in taking Art Classes in the beautiful mountains of Cloudcroft, New Mexico, please send me a note.  We're currently building a new Garage/Art Studio on the lot we bought next door, and I think it might make a great classroom.

The paintings I worked on is one I did for Donna and for our Master Bedroom at the cabin.

Also please check out the new Web Site www.portraitsbyshep.com

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What I Did On My summer Vacation!

It's been a while since I added to my Blog, and that's about to change.  You see it's been the greatest summer here in Cloudcroft.

We started the summer with two great classes.  Here's the first class of the summer and the beautiful paintings my students did in the 5 Day classes.  Anne Hines and Jana Voigy, both from Dallas, were great studnets.  They're both experienced artists trying things outside their comfort zones.  I think they did great.

I started one of my Cowboys and Cowgirls paintings this week.

To see more of my art please check out my NEW Web Site HERE!

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Shep's "Muerto" Comes Alive! at the CAL Show

At the recent Conroe Art League Show, "Muerto" was awarded a 3rd Place in the Professional Oil Class.  The CAL Show was a great show with over 200 entries, so it was special to win two awards in such a well attanded show.  The inspiration for "Muerto" came from so often taking the cutoff through Montgomery, Texas from the Lone Star Parkway to Hwy. 1097, close to my studio.  There was this beautifl old dead tree with all these buzzards in and around it.  So I uprooted the tree to the New Mexican desert and a painting was born.

"Muerto" is available for $895.  If you're interested contact Shep by clicking HERE!
To see more of Shep's work check out the Web Site!

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Shep's "Purple Mountains Majesty" Wins Award!

Contemporary Fine Art International awarded Shep's "Purple Mountains Majesty" an Honorable Mention in their Fall 2014 Juried Competition.  This beautiful painting of Mount Hood in Oregon depicts the famous western peak in morning light.  It's now in the private collection of Mr. & Mrs. Brent Swaine of Austin, Texas.

To see more of Shep's work, please click HERE!
To commission a PortraitByShep, please send him an email NOW!

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Shep Did Better in This Time!

On May 30th I was proud and humbled to post that my painting "Cold shoulder #5" had won a 3rd in the Contemporary Fine Art International's Spring 2014 Figurative Juried Competition.  I promised to work harder and do better next time.  I got the official announcement today that in the CFAI.co August Figurative Artist Showdown my painting "That's That" had finished 2nd.  Now I'm back home and go back to work tomorrow in my Bentwater Studio trying to reach that Holy Grail of a First Place.  Maybe next time, but for now very happy, proud, and thankful.

Congratulation to Marie Fox on her 1st Place and Mary Opat on her 3rd!  

Click Here to see all Shep's paintings For Sale on the CFAI Website.

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We completed our "Paint Like a Venetian" class last week in Cloudcroft and I think it was a great success.  Just look at the beautiful work my students did.  Jane, on the left is an accomplished Art and Writing teacher.  Her painting of "Yoda" was full of fun and feeling.  Nancy is an award winning song writer and relatively new art student.  This is her first portrait and it's beautiful.  What a great talent!

If you're interested in painting in the mountains next summer, please let me know ASAP!

Click HERE for Shep's Contemporary Fine Art International Web Site!

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Shep's Ready 4 "Paint Like a Venetian" Classes

In August I will be conducting my "Paint Like a Venetian" Classes.  Here's one of the paintings I will be working on in one of the two classes.  As you can see I've barely started the Drawing Stage of this portrait, but I really like the start.  The first day of the first class I will finish the Drawing Stage of this portrait.  The subsequent stages are Grisaille, Warm/Cool, Glazing, and Finishing.

If you are interested in taking classes in the Mountains here in Cloudcroft, weeks 3 & 4 are sold out, so the first and second weeks of August are still available if you act fast.

You too can "Paint Like a Venetian"!

Click here for Shep's CFAI Website!

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Shep Paints Cloudcroft's Steller Jay and a Birdhouse

It's hard to make regular posts when you're having the time of your life painting in the beautiful Sacramento Mountains of Cloudcroft, New Mexico.  These paintings were painted from my deck in the cool mornings here at 9,000 feet.  Both Paintings are 5" x 7" and are available for purchase at the Downtown Art Gallery in Brenham, Texas.

Click here for my CFAI Website  

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Shep at Mayfair in Cloudcroft!

It could not have been a better 67th birthday this weekend.  I spent it in beautiful Cloudcroft, New Mexico showing my art at Mayfair.  I'm pretty sure I met every person in Otero County.  They all turned out for Mayfair.

Besides the paintings and cards sold, the best thing that happened is we sold out the last week in August, Labor Day weekend, for the "Paint Like a Venetian" classes.  There are still places open for the first three weeks in August.  If you are interested or have a group that would like to spend a great week in Cloudcroft, please let us know ASAP.

Click Here for Shep's New CFAI page!

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Shep's "Girl On The Gold Couch" is Finished!

Here's the third painting in the trilogy, that's completed, of paintings from the decades.  It's also the first decade, The 50's!  I've enjoyed these paintings so much.  I'm lucky to have a great model to work with, who always comes up with such great outfits for the decades.  Next up will be the 80's and 90's...I've got to find one of the Cabbage Patch Kids doll's we gave our daughters.

This painting turned out very well and won a nice ribbon at the most recent WAL Show.  It too will be at Mayfair in Cloudcroft this weekend.  It's $1,250 "Framed", 33" x 24", Oil on Linen.

Also, I'll be teaching my Class "Paint Like a Venetian" in the mountains of Cloudcroft this August.  If you're interested, please contact me.  We'll have a blast, painting, hiking, and learning a truly unique way to paint that's great for Pros or Beginners.    

Click here for my Contemporary Fine Arts International page!

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Shep says, "Dance Like Nobody's Watching"!

I started this painting when I was teaching my "Paint Like A Venetian" class in Brenham.  Now it's finished and will be For Sale this weekend at "Mayfair" in Cloudcroft, New Mexico.  It's 16.5" x 20.5", $525 "Framed".  If you're interested, please email me back before this weekend.

It's one of 3 companion pieces to "Girl in the Gold Dress" that won 1st place in The Woodlands Art Show.  This one is of the 70's when we all liked to "Dance Like Nobody's Watching".

Click here to see my New Updated CFAI page!

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Shep's Fire Fighters Commission "War" is Presented

Thursday was one of those great days all Artists look forward to.  The commissioned portrait "War" was presented to it's new owners, Shane Smith, the subject of the commission, and Amy who commissioned the portrait as a gift for Shane.

The portrait features Shane, at the scene of a fire, warning us all to stay back.  A fire is a place for professionals only and our fire fighters are at the highest level of professionalism.  The first 3 letters of Shane's fellow fire fighter's name give us the appropriate title because each and every fire is a "War".

The presentation took place at the great Dutch Art Gallery in Dallas.

Click here for Shep's CFAI web site!

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Shep's "I Love You Too" is Finished!

I've worked longer on "I Love You Too" the second longest of any painting I've ever worked on.  I could never get the beautiful hills the sweet couple are gazing at correct.  It always looked like a wall instead of the beautiful outdoors.

Recently I was in an art show and my painting "All In Vain" received a 2nd Place ribbon in the Professional Oil class.  I was beaten by a beautiful still life painted by my original teacher, Tina Szajko.  You always want to win, but to get beaten by an amazing artist like Tina is never a bad thing.        This painting didn't receive a prize so I asked Tina to give some advice as to how to make the work.  She took one look and said to add a sky.  I've added a sky and now I love it.  The painting now extends to infinity.  I hope you all love it too.

Click here for Shep's web site!

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