"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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'38 Dubonnet in Grisaille

This is my other painting that will be in the Dutch Art Gallery, Masters of the Fall Art show in Dallas.  It is done in the style of Titian, the great Venetian painter who finished many paintings in the Grisaille stage, the Grey stage.  It is one of the beautiful cars that were featured in the Museum of Fine Arts Houston Auto Show.  It's 18" x 16", Framed, $495.
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.  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 Paints His Grandson...the "Rock Star"

Don't cha just love this kid?  This is Raine, my grandson, and this is the first time I've painted him.  I'm very proud of him at the painting.  It's a 16" x 12", and if you'd like me to paint your grandkid, this size is $300.

To see more of Shep's Art click HERE!

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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 Teaches Art at George Junior High

It was the most fun I've had in a long time to be asked by my long time friend Ron Abney to teach his Art Class at George Junior High in Rosenberg, Texas.  The kids were smart, talented, interested, and interesting.  I've always said that if you'd like to know something about a subject...try teaching that subject.  I'd like to amend that to say that if you'd REALLY like to know a WHOLE BUNCH about a subject...try teaching that subject to a Junior High Class.

To check out Shep's Website Please click HERE! 

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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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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's "Texas Sky" Sells at the Dutch Art Gallery

Texas Sky, Cactus Flower, and Sunset at the Lodge all were all selected to be in The Dutch Art Gallery's Pursuit of the Southwest 6th Annual Juried Art Show.  If that wasn't enough great news, when delivering the paintings to the gallery in Dallas, "Texas Sky" SOLD before we could hang it.  Here Pam Massar, owner of The Dutch/art Gallery, helps prepare the painting for delivery.

The Reception will be Saturday, December 6th from 11:00 to 3:00 pm.  Everyone's invited!  The new owner was nice enough to volunteer to bring "Texas Sky" back for the judging so come see it before it goes to private hands forever.

To see more of Shep's work check out his WEB SITE!   

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