Home Builder (Brunson)

by Godfrey Ellis – 11×14 Acrylic Nov 2019

This amazing and inspiring man, our good friend Steve, has done incredible things for us. Well, he does incredible things for dozens of people. He is a model of love and service. What a giant! He was the inspiration for us to move out of our previous huge house and downsize into our retirement home on Kapalea Way. It was my thrill to paint this portrait of a proud homeowner standing in front of the home he built himself. Then I helped him get it framed as a Christmas gift for his wife.

Below is the reference photo. As you can see, I changed the color of his shirt, which was a good decision. I also brightened up his deep-set eyes, which may or may not have been an improvement. I was pleased with how the house came out – that took a lot of time to paint.

His lovely wife, Helen, is holding her Christmas gift. Acrylic paintings are not usually matted because a mat requires a glass and that creates a reflection problem, as you can see below.

Below is the only photo I have of the painting in process. This one was painted using an opaque technique where sections are finalized before moving on to other section. This is opposed to glazing where the entire picture emerges together like a Polaroid photo gradually emerging..