The Gambler

18 x 24 Oil on Linen. NFS.

This lady is a total hoot. She posed for me and this painting was completed from life in 8 hours. She wants to buy it, along with her sister and niece, but they'll all have to wait because its going into my portfolio. Her name is Shanna, and one of my favorite people to play cards with. She taught me Pinochle and I have to say I'm quite an expert now, that and English Rummy. Before she sat for the portrait she insisted on drawing a straight flush to hold, she couldn't stand to look at cards that weren't winning ones, and after we finished she said, "you little sh!#, you can't make me hold these cards all day and then not play with me." So we played pinochle with Jennifer and her sister Manon and I got 1000 aces and shot the moon. :) at which point she had more explatives since I wasn't on her team. :) All in all, I love portraiture as much for the experiences it provides as the challenge of the subject matter. (When painted from life of course).

Hahaha, A lot of controversy

Wow, its fun to get a lot of comments :) a word of explanation:

I think some of you misread the proposed question in my last post thinking that I wanted your commentary on the practice of academic figure drawing instead of what I intended. I wondered "would you be offended to have the option to view God's creation in a non-sexual, but beautiful way, expressed artistically through another of God's creations?"

Not to offend, but to clear the air, I don't care about your opinions on the practice of creating the art, merely the viewing of said art. I do understand your aversion to the human body, being raised in a very strict Utah society, and appreciate knowing that you would not like to view certain subject matter in art. I understand, and in respect to those opinions would like to forewarn you to not check my art blog, because I will be posting academic studies as they come.

And also, I would like to point out that it would be helpful for some to become educated on certain issues BEFORE reading too much into things. Brigham Young sent three missionaries to the Jullian academy to expressly study the human figure in the nude form, in order to hone artistic proficiency so that they could use that knowledge later in life to benefit the church in temple murals, etc. These missionaries would even send home nude figure drawings to be framed and preserved. SUU now has some of these drawings in their personal collection. One of which is a full nude, seated figure, and I have to say, it is an impeccable drawing, and a large reason I decided to pursue academic figuration.

Likewise if someone argues that artists shouldn't study the nude human figure because of some underlying sexual evil, they are in effect, also suggesting that neither should doctors including gynecologists, urologists, or obstetricians. (So I guess in your logic, that exploits Brigham Young and some of our current general authorities as double standard holding frauds. Forgive me, but I in no way share your logic.)

And for those of you who don't know, there's a great site called lds.org :) you can follow this link to read more about the Mormon "nudie" missionaries.

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=bb16d7630a27b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

P.S. by definition, Pornography is depicting or describing the human body or sexual conduct in a way that arouses sexual feelings. In essence, sexually titillating. If you are getting kicks out of academic art, I am concerned about you.