Through a fortuitous introduction, I met Thane Stenner in Montreal. Following a presentation about my work, process and business model — we sat down for a long talk about life and art. Little did I know, this conversation would pave the way for a long term creative engagement. Thane had a vision — a commissioned painting of Jesus, with an emphasis on the concept of radiance.

And so, with this guiding principle, we got to work.

Here is the entire process, with my best interpretation of an NPR voice over.

The source image has an interesting backstory. Back in 2003 when I was on reality tv, I had a basement in the studio of an East Boston brownstone. There, I found this framed painting, leaning against the only light. You can imagine how arresting the visual experience was… turning on the light, and this being the first thing you see. So, after exploring many potential compositions, this one kept rising to the top.

As always, I began with a cadmium red background…

And a cadmium orange under painting for the figure.

Next, I established the essential form with a warm, flesh tone.

I’m a fan of going from shadows to highlights. I also applied a neutral tone in the background for balance.

Playing with a saturated hue around the shadows… the facial tones were mixed out of Purple and yellow…

This is a moment I found some clarity.

Alas, what I discovered was this: the face must be repainted entirely.

It’s difficult to establish final tonal balance without the background completed… so I went in and painted a halo gradient with warm, hand-mixed greys.

This delivered an immediate sense of balance… next, I dove into the shirt and hair… with only the facial repaint standing between myself and completion.

The final prestige phase is essential in any painting. The additional facial planes created a greater presence, which was essential.

Thane, thank you for your commission — here’s hoping Jesus delivers the radiance we sought to capture.

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