Graham

This portrait of my son Graham, from just before his sixteenth birthday, really captures his essence and demeanor. What it doesn’t capture is that the gentle smile on his face is in reaction to a dragonfly that had just landed on his hand. It says something about his character that the dragonfly chose him, trusted him, in a way, and that his response was to calmly gaze at it and appreciate it.

The detail photos of the painting highlight some of the aspects of this portrait that stand out most prominently — the bold red outlines used to make the subject pop from the more muted background, and provide detail in the eye and contours of the nose and ear; the subtlety in the shapes and colors representing his facial features; and the sweep of the shadows that give his hair a flowing sense of direction.

Original is acrylic on canvas. Prints are available in limited editions per size. Read more about print quality, edition details, and commissions in the FAQs .