Jon Linton portrait

As an artist who prefers doing landscapes I can say with confidence this is the best portrait I've done. On my way to get coffee at the Celebration of Fine Art I saw a group of artists gathered around the a dark clad man with tattoos. He was posing for the artists who wanted to participate in the challenge of doing this years portrait: Jon, an interesting character with his fingers adorned in silver rings and wild black hair. While he was posing it seemed as if he wanted to convey this punk-like characterization many held of him when they first see him. After getting to know Jon and his photography over the first few weeks of the art event, I took him more as a caring and contemplative creative. Walking past I caught a candid photo of Jon in-between the snapping of cameras by other artists while he was more relaxed. Then I grabbed my coffee and went to paint his portrait in secret so I could be free of the pressure of any expectations.

Upon it’s completion I was beyond pleased with the results and presented the piece to Jon as a gift. He was so moved he decided to do an art trade with me of one of his favorite landscape photos. He took the portrait and framed it as a birthday gift for his mother.

Here is a link to a video of his reaction to receiving his portrait: https://tinyurl.com/2zk4x7jz