When our little granddaughter Emma Grace Hartman was born, I experienced something first hand that we tell our clients all the time: Beautiful portraits are important. They truly do capture once in a lifetime moments.

Now, I am probably about the proudest grandpa around. And I get to create all kinds of portraits of Emma. Most recently, I did this one in my favorite classic style.

Throughout my career, I have loved creating timeless, elegant portraits. They are sometimes unappreciated in a fast-paced, trendy culture like ours. But don’t be mistaken: these portraits will stand the test of time. They are simple, beautiful and arresting. They require extraordinary attention to detail. I love Emma’s innocence and purity in this image. It is fun to see her budding personality. When she turns one, I’ll probably create a painting, which of course I’ll be excited to show you. But I know I’ll always love this portrait of our beautiful granddaughter.

Last week, I had the incredible honor of helping the CHOC Foundation (make link) raise funds for their important cause at the ChocWalk at Downtown Disney.
We featured this painting of little Emma Duffy, daughter of Patrick and Erin Duffy, created in the dining room of their home. The family has been committed to CHOC in a significant way because their daughter was a patient there.

April and I had a wonderful time with the Tony and Liz Perez, and their daughter Isabel when we visited one of their favorite Santa Barbara restaurants, The Wine Cask. We shared a great bottle of wine, and then created this portrait. I love the romantic feeling and the evident intimacy this beautiful family shares, not to mention their great appreciation for excellent wine!

Professional Photographer Magazine interviewed me recently for a feature article in this month's issue. The article includes my first portrait assignment, before I had even chosen portraiture as a career. I was pleased that they also featured my portrait of Andrea Leonelli, that was made in the elegant, formal style I've enjoyed for many years. 
The portrait you see here is of Sally Bowen, her daughter and three granddaughters.  Sally is a huge fan of John Singer Sargent and Richard Pinos,  which inspired me to create this painting sketch in Sally's home in Orange County.

Looking back over the summer, both April and I have been reminded about
how much fun it is to be artists. In the last 4 months, we have created
portraits locally here at some spectacular places. We also did some work
in Canada and Hawaii. We made some great new friends. And as if that
was not enough, we get to experience what many creative people only dream
of: excited clients who trust us to make works of art they will enjoy for a
long,long time. Here is a recent painting of Michael and Wendy Cupps with
their daughters on the loggia of their Italian villa.

Most of my beach portraits have been made along the Malibu coast, so it was really fun to create several in Laguna Beach recently. April and I had a great time with Gunnar and Lindsay Williams and their children. We all loved how this painted portrait captures Laguna's stunning beauty. Even more, it shows the happy intimacy of their young family.

April and I had an amazing experience in Canada where the beautiful environment of the Pacific Northwest fed our creativity. I discovered this incredible little lake where I created this portrait of Wendy Bates in the early morning sunlight. Needless to say, it has been an inspiring summer.