Portrait of Virgil Mathis

Virgil Mathis viewed his oil portrait for the first time on Wednesday night at the Chicago Cultural Center. I attended a Vet Art Project program and was so glad that I took three of my completed paintings. Virgil was overjoyed with the painting. As you can see his kindess and strength are evident in his face and strong hands. This was one of the most rewarding experiences that I have encountered in my work as an artist.
By the way if you check out my Youtube channel you can see me in the process of painting Virgil's portait in my studio.

Portrait of Sharon, My Little Sister

My youngest sister, Sharon, is an Air Force Veteran, she is the 6th veteran for me to paint. She came to Chicago recently for a visit from her sunny home in Hastings, Florida. We enjoyed our time together and shared old family stories. She also shared her story about her time in the Air Force while stationed in the Phillipines during the Phillipino civil war in the early 1980's. We spent a day in my stuio while she sat for this portrait. I am very pleased with the progress on this piece, and found it to be the most rewarding of all of the portraits I've painted so far.
The next veteran I will paint is Phil. He is a Vietnam veteran and he too has stories, and memories of his war experience. Phil visited my studio two weeks ago, so I have a good start on capturing his character on canvas. I'll post his painting as it progresses.