December 2025

Watercolor portrait of Gloria, aka Queen Nefertiti

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watercolor portrait of a black woman

One of our favorite models at life drawing group is Gloria, also known as Queen Nefertiti. She has a regal bearing and a striking face. I made this watercolor during a twenty-minute pose. I began with the eyes and then moved to the forehead and worked down the face from there. I used the method taught by Charles Reid: place the color with the brush, then soften it. I made sure to vary the color. It’s important, especially with a dark complexion, to add more color into the skin tones. Here I added red in some places and a touch of green in other places. Pretty happy with this portrait.

watercolor portrait of a black woman

I painted this portrait of Gloria from a photo. I kept it pretty loose, using a lot of paint and water on my brush and letting the washes mingle. I left some areas white to show the highlights on the skin.

watercolor portrait of a black woman

This portrait is a copy of a portrait of another model by Annette Smith. I took an online course from Annette last winter, and I admire her portraits. I was able to keep a lot of soft edges in this portrait, and I like the greens, reds and blues in the skin and hair.

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Featured Artist at art show opening

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Last Sunday was the opening reception for an art show in which I was the “featured artist.” It was a joyous affair, with many friends and colleagues coming by to see my paintings and offer support. Katy and Guy were there, helping me with the logistics. For me, it was very affirming and encouraging. I’m grateful to everyone who made the show possible and to everyone who came.

Here are the thirteen paintings I entered in the show, basically the best of my work over the last year. The show is sponsored by Poulsbo Artists League (PAL), of which I’m a longtime member, and it’s hanging at the Treehouse Cafe on Bainbridge Island through February. As the featured artist, I got to hang my paintings together in the large dining room. I really liked seeing all my work in one place because it highlights my painting style.

Kay Boyce, president of PAL, was instrumental in organizing the show and helping me with the hanging. Many friends from PAL came to the opening, as well as my friends from my life drawing group. It was an extra bonus to sell three of my paintings at the opening

I’ve been preparing for this show for weeks. First I made eight picture frames to add to the five I already had. I cut the poplar, stained it, varnished it, stapled it together, and cut the glass and mats. Then I made sure all the paintings were signed and created an identifying card for each painting. And Guy and I transported the paintings to the show and hung them (without breaking the glass in any of them!).

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