"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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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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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 Shows at Cloudcroft's "Mayfair"

It was a great weekend in the mountains of southern New Mexico for Shep at "Mayfair" in Cloudcroft, Shep's summer home.  The cool crisp air and bright sunshine were wonderful, and the sales were all appreciated.  It's always to find new homes for paintings where they will be loved and appreciated.

To check out Shep's website Please click HERE! 
To check on the availability of paintings in this picture Please email Shep at: portraitsbyshep@aol.com

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"Art'Stang" is One Great Ride! by Shep

Who doesn't love the '66 Mustang?  It's one of the great cars of all time and this is my painting of Art Jansen's "Art'Stang".  This commission is the first of two I'm doing for Mr. Jansen.  The next is one of the nicest 1949 Ford "Woodies".  I hope to get it posted very soon.

If you have a classic car you's like Shep to paint, please click HERE to message Shep.

To check out Shep's Website click www.portraitsbyshep.com!

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"Tuxie" by Shep is Completed!

"Tuxie" is a comission from our dear friend Fara.  Tux is no longer with us and his best friend Ken misses him greatly.  Ken retired from the Army and is an admirer of Napoleon.  So I was commissioned to bring back as the "Little General" he always was.  He's a gift for Ken's birthday, so if you know Ken, please don't give the surprise away.

To see more of Shep's work please click HERE!

To contact Shep about your comission email him by clicking NOW!

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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 "Four Horns" is a Winner!

From the minute I first met my new friend Paul "Four Horns" Tenoso I liked the man.  He's a great story teller, very unique artist, and a true American original.  After our conversation at the Indian Market in Santa Fe I told him I wanted to paint him and could we do the photos right there on the spot...we did.  I told Paul I was going to paint him and make him famour to which he said, "Hell, I'm already famous".  So now I hope he's more famous.

I enter the portrait in the Conroe Art League's Spring Show and it won 2nd in Professional Oils.  It was a good show.  If you like "Four Horns" the painting is 20" x 16" and is $595 Framed, $550 Unframed.

To enquire about purchasing "Four Horns" Click HERE!
To see more of Shep's work please click HERE!

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Shep's Winter Class at the Conroe Art League

I just had to brag a little bit, but this class is full of talent!  Two of these folks painted for the first time  in their lives for this early stage.  All the paintings are in the Grisaille Stage.  This is a value study stage using a minimum of color, but look at the subtlety everyone showed in their brush strokes.  The next stage is the Dead Color Stage.  I can't wait to see the next stage.

To see more of Shep's work please click HERE!

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The "Blue Dahlia" by Shep is Finished!

This painting started life as a Demo for the Lake Houston Area Artists on October 22nd, so now we know it takes me 11 weeks to finish a painting.  This work was a great deal of fun to paint and allowed me a lot of freedom to create a scene and a place in time, from a minimal amount of information.

The painting came about when my model showed up for a photo shoot with this beautiful vintage, silk robe that belonged to her mother, and those amazing hose.  From there we created this scene.  I hope everyone loves it.

Does anyone read Kanji?  What does it say?  Did I get it right?
Hint:  If I did it wrong it says "Turkey" "Fang"!

The painting is 15" x 30" x 1.5" and is available for $795.
Interested parties can email Shep by clicking Here!
To see more of Shep's work click this Link!

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