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Greg Cartmell

Fine Art, Custom Knives & Jewelry, Art Lessons and more!

Portraits

The Cuban Cigar Smoking Man Painting (New Piece)

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Every Wednesday my nephew gets me one way or another. He’s always sending me memes, gifs, and other fun social postings provide a quick chuckle or two to get me through the day.

These typically come on hump day, which couldn’t be a more perfect day to send them, lol.

Given that the work week is just about half over,  I figured I’d release this week’s latest from the Miami Series.

I spent a significant amount of time just observing all the wise old Cuban men hanging around Little Havana. Given that I’m not a shy guy (I know what you’re thinking, shocker right) I like to mingle with the locals.

In doing so, I had some wonderful conversations with a couple of old men who came over from Cuba. They were hanging out at one of the cigar shops by the Cuban Art Museum and the Domino Park.

It was a great experience speaking with these men. If I learn something new from someone that’s older and wiser than myself, then I consider it a win.

This piece is titled, “Mr.Cuban Cigar” and it’s an 11″ x 14″ watercolor on 300lb high-quality paper.

The piece is for sale – click here to check it out.

Here’s a quick image of it…

Mr. Cuban Cigar

Also, I’d like to share this recent plant piece that I had fun painting. It’s called “Mary Jane” and the leaves couldn’t have screamed “paint me” any louder.

It too is a 11×14 watercolor. Check that out here.

Lastly, I’ve started sharing my views on some artists. Those showcased, I respect the heck out of. Being a professional painting is a never-ending learning process. I’ve learned from a lot of artists. One I admire is right here – Van Gogh – read my blog post on him if interested. He was insane, no doubt about that!

Have a good hump day.

Back to the easel…

Old Man And The Hump Day Struggles

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Good morning, it’s hump day and I feel like an old man today. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get through the week and finish strong.

Speaking of old, I’ve decided to showcase an old man painting today.

This is a 5×7 oil on panel titled, “Old Man,” and it’s available for $100 today.

Old Man Painting Framed

You can add a frame to it for an additional $50.00.

The original painting comes signed and professionally packaged.

I’ve been known to paint these types of pieces for years and I enjoy doing so.

Many of the larger pieces within the Old Man Series have been sold. However, some are still available for purchase if you’re looking to acquire one from this unique series. Click here to check out the series.

 

North Carolina Portrait Sketch Tour

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For several years now Cooper Michael French and myself have taken to the road and do our “portrait sketch” tour. We paint portrait sketches and head studies of people in charcoal, Conti, pastel and oils.  

It’s great fun to paint from live models, And a great opportunity for us to sharpen our drawing and painting skills, not to mention our sitters to go home with portraits of themselves at an extremely reasonable price. This is something we offer once a year nearing the holiday seasons….. Our tour this year will take us through Asheville, NC and will end up in Monetta,Virginia at the Little Gallery on Smith Mountain Lake.

Mississippi State University Coach Dan Mullen Portrait Painting

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MSU Dan Mullen Portrait

Summer is half over and you know just what that means…it’s football time Bulldogs! With the season just around the corner and that die hard feeling beginning to flow through our veins, I thought it was only appropriate to make a post on one of my latest portraits I’ve Unveiled. I was given the opportunity to paint a portrait of the the leader of the Bulldogs himself, Head Coach Dan Mullen. I really enjoyed working with Coach Mullen. I had such a great time painting his portrait! This is going to be a great football season! I cannot wait for football season to start and I’m sure the rest of you Bulldog fans can’t wait either!

Dr. Joseph Maynard Portrait Painting

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doctor painting portrait

Who is Dr.Joseph Maynard?

This is a doctor painting I created long ago. The portrait painting was done in oil and was created many years ago. Dr. Joseph Maynard was the author of “Healing Hands”, the biography of B.J. Palmer, the father of chiropractic. I wanted to play the roughness of his face against the delicacy of the rose. Dr. Maynard was affectionately called “Smokin’ Joe”. For years he was involved with life chiropractic college, Marietta, GA. This doctor painting was done white on white with the emphasis on the head. It was done with a very limited palette. I hope you like the character in his face.

This was done from life in two 2-hour sittings. Joe was always encouraging me with my art, and was a close friend. He had a very colorful past, and was always willing to share his adventures with anyone . Many years ago he was the creator and developer of a TV show called “Queen for a Day”. He was also a very involved historian for chiropractic medicine over the years.

Joe had a “look” that I never tired of painting. He had so much character in this face, and a gesture about him that was very interesting. When I started this doctor painting, I wanted it to have a somewhat candid quality to it, so I did a 3/4 pose, instead of a straight on eye contact kind of pose. I chose white on white to accentuate his rough face against a neutral white background.

It was done with lots of bravura brushwork, and thick impasto paint, because that fit his personality.

Simple Artists Tip: Add personal Touches Anytime You Can

If as a painter, you can add something about what the person likes, or does; such as a hobby, job, or love, it says so much more than just a visual inventory of how the subject looks. In this case, Joe loved to grow beautiful roses. I also thought the rose would be such a great dichotomy against his rugged facial features. Long story short, Joe was a great doctor and overall an incredible man that contributed to society.

Why I Enjoy Creating Doctor Paintings

There are many reasons why I enjoy creating portrait paintings of doctors. I’ve done this many times and for many doctors across the country, primarily within the South of Boston area and among various Southern States. Doctors save lives. They heal the sick or they do their best to try and do so. Most of the doctors in this world have spent many years working towards building their knowledge for the greater good of society and many of those deserve to be praised. For that, I feel when I create a portrait of a doctor it’s a small way for me to make that individual feel good and get further recognition. I could never in a hundred years do what some of these doctors have done to help increase longevity of individuals lives and build a healthier society today and tomorrow.

Need a Doctor Painting Portrait Created? 

If you’re interested in getting a personal portrait done of you or a doctor you care for, feel free to contact me anytime. The best way to reach me for a portrait painting is to email me at greg@gregcartmell.com. I’d be more than happy to speak with you about it.