Author: PhD

Painting

We Can Be Heroes

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I don’t know which came first with this piece, the title or the first brush stroke. Sumo Wrestling has always fascinated me. Their status as heroes, celebrities and in a way – royalty. The first time I looked into the rituals of Sumo was in the late seventies. At that time my reference material was the entire Colliers Encyclopedia set that was on the shelf in our family room. On the same shelf was my first true crime fix – a copy of “Lizzie Borden, The Untold Story” by Edward Radin.

My very thin older brother, Greg, wanted to be a Sumo Wrestler for Halloween and needed help with his costume. I was his only hope. Really. I was going to cosmetology school and had all of the accouterment to not only make his but his friend Mark’s costume. I had an old wig I was able to cut to create top knots and also had every color of makeup in my kit. I only needed ivory and black. We had foam from an old gymnastics pad for the belts and a huge piece of black cloth to wrap the foam in and the rest we used for the briefs. It wasn’t really an official gymnastics pad, just a big piece of dark yellow cushion pad that was always around the house. We used it for extra bedding sometimes and it came in handy when we were practicing our high-jump rolls in the basement. I remember it was easy to cut just created a huge mess. The guys looked great when I was done and they looked just like the black and white photo from the encyclopedia.

When my sister or I find the photo of Greg and Mark from that Halloween I will post it here.

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Dante’s Work Keeps Him Away

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Dante’s Work Keeps Him Away – oil on canvas

I saw a vintage photo of what I thought were fur traders way back in the day. I imagined they were 3 couples, a group of six men who had found their tribe. A group who didn’t judge and perhaps protected one another. I also imagined the pioneer photographer was a female, the gentleman in the middle front row’s sister. The man standing behind the brother is Dante, his partner.

I binge watched every episode of Schitt’s Creek twice while I worked on this piece. I admit, I watched the last season three times. It completely chokes me up.

Painting, Process

Process of Painting Smokey Eyes

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First Steps

The eyes are one of my favorite subjects. I’ve been doodling eyes on everything from books to grocery lists most of my life. In school the teachers thought I was taking notes but I was just drawing eyes over and over. The more astute instructors probably knew what I was doing. See, I have an obvious tell, even to this day I make scrunched up and sideways faces when I create art.

A few years ago I was reading an artist’s blog and she said you should always start a portrait with the eyes. This makes so much sense! A portrait I did of a Rottweiler a few years ago I only painted his eyes. He had such an intense look and he kept his eyes on his master; so, I thought just the eyes would be the perfect composition “Watch Me.” When it came to this latest commission, “Smokey,” I wanted to capture the spirit, the essence of this beautiful animal.

As you can see, I started this painting by underpainting with a light coat of green. I then sketched with pencil the eye placement and composition.

One of the most important aspects of painting eyes is light direction. I took several photos of Smokey outside. So there is a clear light going through his eyes. I also had the photos on my phone so I could zoom in and capture every light, speck, and color.

To complete the painting I used the smallest brushes in my studio to create the feeling of fur. It definitely takes longer but is so worth it. This painting is on a 10″x 20″ canvas and I used acrylic paint. Please contact me if you would like a portrait created especially for you.

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The Last Supper

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When I was church secretary at First Presbyterian Church in Missoula, MT I wanted to create something for the empty office walls. That was the only part of the job I didn’t like, the walls. It is a church full of love and acceptance. Being a part of this church and congregation was a blessing that will be with me for the rest of my life. A church that truly walks in the Word. Before I left the job for traveling opportunities I promised (mostly to myself) to paint the last supper for the office wall. So, almost two years later I delivered the oil painting to my friends at FPC.

“The Last Supper” by Jacopo Bassano (circa 1546) is the painting I studied and stared at for hours before lifting a brush and squeezing paint onto my pallet. I simply love the emotion and movement in the painting. The feelings I wanted to capture were of sadness, confusion and love. Pure love. When painting this piece I kept the apostles eyes closed because I think, like them, our faith is still looking for evidence. Which is not faith at all. From John 13:36 – Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You.” Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.

The face of Christ illustrates the trinity: His Father in Heaven, He is the Son, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

“The Last Supper” Jacopo Bassano (circa 1546)

Last Supper by Pamela H DuBois

A 9"x12" Giclee print in archival matte. All proceeds from the sale of these prints will go to First Presbyterian of Missoula, Montana

$20.00

Last Supper by Pamela H DuBois

A 6"x8" Giclee print in archival matte. All proceeds from the sale of these prints will go to First Presbyterian of Missoula, Montana

$10.00