I’m delighted to share my latest portrait — ‘Bene’, an 30″X30″, Acrylic Collage-Painting on Belgian Linen. A dear friend, Bene and I met out on the golf course… and, for the record — if I’m within 15 strokes of Bene, it’s a damn good day for yours truly.

Here is the entire creation process captured in time lapse… come for the visuals, stay for the mellifluous soundtrack, courtesy of my new friend Kaze. (check him out!)

Bene and I spent an afternoon in the studio, shooting potential source images. After several hundred options were created, we carefully analyzed the possibilities… and this was the winner.

With linen canvases, I always apply two additional layers of gesso. This helps smooth the surface, and makes for desirable, air-bubble-free collage results. Here, you can see the basic form, with headlines and images — curated to capture the life of Bene.

As is often the case, I dove in with a red and orange under-painting. While I would then diverge into a monochromatic wood (specifically, mars black and titanium white)… the warmth prevails.

The shadows are important — as they identify key visual elements to nail down the likeness.

Each set of tones contains two colors… in order to differentiate the letters. I’ve found working from shadows, to mid-tones, to highlights (and then back again) has proven an effective methodology.

That first set of mid-tones begins to turn the form.

As we barrel toward the highlights, Bene is beginning to come together. Of course, having red eyes and teeth can feel distracting… but it’s all part of the process.

With a first pass of the brightest brights, I added a quick white layout to eliminate the reds. This helps establish a refined tonal balance.

Working that grey gradient in the background… each striation of color contains for layers of paint, created with a very small brush. My Virgo shows.

Once we arrived here, I could smell the finish. The final steps included a tonal bump on the tertiary highlights, carefully painting the hair, eyes and mouth.

And voila! Completed. Bene, Doreen — thank you, thank you, thank you! I absolutely loved working with you, and it was a distinct honor to create this work of art. Here’s looking forward to hanging your new piece… and, of course, many more great conversations on the back porch, golf course and beyond. Much love, your friend Borbay.

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