Saturday, December 30, 2017

"Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

Photorealistic graphite portrait of my daughter done with graphite pencil


Anyone who has ever attempted to draw in a photo-realistic style knows how tedious the process can be.  Every little detail of the image must be exact.  Especially with portraits of people.  If one line is in the wrong spot or one shape is too dark or too light, the drawing will not resemble the person.  The most painstaking part of these portraits is the hair.  All the lines don't follow in perfect pattern.  They are haphazard and random, with stray hairs going across the other strands making the work very slow.









As I struggle to create each individual line and shape, it forces me to notice the unique parts that make up a face.   You never really appreciate these details until you're forced to see, analyze and copy each one in an artwork.  It reminds me of the incredible amount of detail there is in every single person, animal, plant and living thing in this world... and God created it all.

Jesus said,

"And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered."  - Matt 10:30


He knows every single detail about every part of us, and far more than we could ever see or understand.  How important and valuable we must be!  How caring and loving is the Great Artist?


"Great is our Lord and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit."  - Psalm 147:5



Monday, December 4, 2017

Spanish Peaks Photograph Featured in 5280 Magazine





One of my sunrise photographs: "The Spanish Peaks" is being featured in the December issue of 5280 Magazine (the Denver magazine).  You may have seen this magazine in the supermarkets.  They are showcasing different mountain adventures/hikes/climbs from around the state and telling about some lesser known mountain ranges.



Magazine Cover



This particular article talks about the long day hike of West and East Spanish Peaks in the Sangre de Cristo mountains.  Jason and I once summited West Spanish Peak and have also failed to reach the the summit on numerous other attempts.  Right across the page from my image is a shot from one of my favorite Colorado photographers, Jack Brauer, who is basically the Jack Bauer of mountain photography.  So, that's pretty cool.


...and the original photograph