The Naked Silo

30" x 36", oil on canvas, 2015, private collection This is one of two portraits I painted of Toronto-based musician George Meanwell. My intent was to enter one of them into the 2015 Kingston Prize for portraiture, so I painted two and submitted the one I liked better. I submitted the other one. Although the hands in this one make me pretty happy, I feel I got George's likeness better in the other painting where he's playing a concertina. I like this right hand a lot. Early stage. Earlier stage.

36" x 30", oil on canvas, 2015, private collection This is the portrait I painted of Toronto-based musician George Meanwell which I submitted for the 2015 Kingston Prize for portraiture. I took many photos of George playing concertina, banjo , and cello during his stay here at Small Pond back in November 2014. It was always a delight to hear him practicing in his room upstairs, and even better to have him play while he posed for me. I got a lot of great shots, but I was only planning on painting two portraits (and submitting the one I liked better), so I sadly had to cut the cello (but who knows –maybe one day I'll paint another portrait of George playing it). Incidentally, the very first portrait I submitted to the KP (in 2011) was a painting I did of PEC farmer  George Emlaw  (which didn't make it into the exhibition). The next one (in 2013; it takes place every other year) was  a self portrait  (this didn't get in, either). So, here I am, two years l...