Most Viewed Artwork

I was browsing through my statistics today on Fine Art America.com and Red Bubble.com to see how many visitors had stopped by to see my artwork. I was surprised at which pieces had the most views, and also how high some of the numbers were! Interestingly, the popular artworks on the two sites are completely different from one another. Here is a quick look at the most popular original art, celebrity art, commissioned portraits, and photography from my two galleries. (All the pics are courtesy of Fine Art America because they provide an easy linking option!)

Thanks to everyone who has visited my art galleries! :)

Top Artworks by Views on Fine Art America.com

Original Art Work

8,643 views as of 11/17/2010 (Currently the most viewed piece of all my art on FAA.)




Celebrity Art Work

8,447 views as of 11/17/2010




Commissioned Portraits

4,745 views as of 11/17/2010




Photography

876 views as of 11/17/2010

Top Artworks by Views on Red Bubble.com

Original Art Work

1,499 views as of 11/17/2010

Celebrity Art Work

4,729 views as of 11/17/2010 (Currently the most viewed piece of all my art on Red Bubble.)

Commissioned Portraits

293 views as of 11/17/2010

Photography

403 views as of 11/17/2010

Current News

It is a rainy day here in my neck of the woods so I finally grabbed a minute to update this poor, neglected blog!

I am currently working on a 16x20 anniversary portrait, which is coming along very well. I have a celebrity portrait of Rita Hayworth that I have been working on and off again for quite awhile. Other projects keep taking priority. Harrison Ford, winner of the last celebrity vote, is also on my list of portraits to draw.

My most recent celebrity artwork: Halle Berry

I was also privileged to meet a very kind lady online who maintains a blog devoted to James Garner. This blog, James Garner - The Quintessential American is a must read for Garner fans! She was so kind to dedicate a post to my portrait of James Garner as Maverick. Read the post here. Thank you, Suzanne!

Sean Connery is my most featured work on Red Bubble. This portrait has been featured in 7 different groups. The most current feature is in the 60's Glory group, dedicated the great decade of the 60's. View Sean Connery's portrait and read some kind comments on Red Bubble.

Well, back to the drawing board!

Art Contests

I found an interesting art community website called A Singular Creation. One thing I like is that they run free art contests every month. The Art Showdown Contests all have different themes, and there is small prizes, normally $50 for the winner. The winner is featured with a small statement form the artist, but 4 pieces also receive honorable mention. Each artist can enter 3 pieces. See the Art Showdown Contest Rules and Guidelines.

This months art contest hit me right in the middle since the subject was portraits. I entered 2 celebrity pencil portraits, Tony Shalhoub and Elizabeth Taylor. I also entered my graphite portrait of the sweet little boy, Deaven. I was extremely pleased, and surprise, when, out of 299 entries, Deaven was chosen as one of the 16 finalists. The finalists are currently open for public vote, and will remain so until Oct. 6. the it goes to the final vote of the judges, and the winner will be announced Oct 10th. I hope you will check out all the finalists and casts votes for your favorites. There are some really nice pieces.

I honestly don't expect to win, but am hopeful for honorable mention. That would be a big enough boost for my ego. :)

This months contest is black and white, again another nice match for me. I plane to enter a couple original pieces, one of which I am trying to get done before the Oct 14 deadline. Check out the contest themes and deadlines.

Busy, Busy

Well, I see I have neglected this blog for awhile, so thought I better show it some attention! So, here is my recent news.

I am working on 2 new original pieces. One is about half way finished and the other I just started. Both are in graphite, although I plan to incorporate some chalk pastel into one of them. I normally keep my hands in 2 or 3 projects at once. That way if I get bored or frustrated with one, I just move on to something different.

I am still searching for the perfect picture of Sean Connery. When drawing celebrities I try to find poses that are not common. I just don't like drawing from a picture that has been seen 1 million time in a publicity campaign. Although, there are always exceptions! Anyway, here is the picture I am leaning towards . . .

Most of my time recently has been tied up with web design. One project will be published within the next few days, and another close to the end of the month. The wedding business is also busy this time of year!

That's all for now, must get back to work!

Celebrity Pencil Portraits

I am currently working on my pencil portrait of Nicole Kidman. She was the winner in the last celebrity vote on my web site. The voting for the current list ends May 31, 2008. So, if you want to cast a vote, you better hurry! Currently it looks like Sean Connery may be the winner, although Harrison Ford and Nicholas cage are close behind.

I plan to add much more detail, especially to her hair and eyes before her portrait is finished.

I plan to have Nicole Kidman finished by the end of the month. I haven't been able to devote much time to her recently. I still enjoy doing celebrity portraits, but I have been trying to put more effort into creating some original pieces. Every once in awhile though, I find it relaxing to work on a celebrity portrait just for fun. I find them a great way to experiment with different graphite techniques too. There are still some I would like to draw, so I am sure I will eventually be adding more celebrity drawings to my site.