We have just completed this portrait of Gary and Ferryn Melton's children, and can't wait for them to see it once the paint is completely dry. The Meltons have a beautiful collection of fine art paintings, and we're proud that this painting will soon be displayed in their home as well.

My friend Michael Thompson is a fellow member of the International Society of Portrait Artists. We love to email each other with our most recent images. You can imagine how great it felt when he said that this portrait of Maria Startz's girls was "absolutely stunning." That was high praise from someone who I really respect. I have to admit that it was pretty incredible to work with such great sisters who were totally into the experience. Even as I was creating the portrait, I could tell that it was going to be quite special.

And she's another artist as well!

When the Markham family came into the studio to pick out the frames for the beach portraits that we did of their family at Leo Carrillo Beach, their young daughter Erin presented me with her own work of art. We thought you might want to see it as well.

Currently it's hanging on the bulletin board by my desk, but I might even frame it.

Our studio is blessed to have so many clients we can call our friends. Thats one of the real joys of what we do. And it's also fun to see our young clients grow up. I have a story about a local client who hit the big time this year...but it will have to wait until next time...I've gotta find her images first. They're in the archives on something called film.

Any guesses? Stay tuned...

There is a group of amazing portrait artists who April and I meet with every year about this time. I just returned from a wonderful retreat with them in the mountains a few miles outside of St. Louis. The weather felt like 20 below zero to my California blood, so you can only imagine how great it felt to be back home. Just a few days after my return, I created this portrait of Mark and Jack Spear enjoying a walk in the early spring fields near Mt. Boney. They were full of enthusiasm, and I wanted to capture how much they enjoyed being together. I love that I can work on location all year long in such beautiful environments!