Trail Head (Johnston)

by Godfrey J. Ellis — 12×16 Acrylic Oct 2020

In return for significant help with putting in a new back lawn, I painted this man’s wife (see “By the Lake” on this website). He gave it to his wife as a gift. He wasn’t sure she liked it but, a few weeks later, she commissioned this surprise portrait of her husband, my friend, Bob, for his birthday. (So I guess she did like her portrait!) Anyway, Bob is a hiker, and this portrait captures his love of hiking in the outdoors of Western Washington.

This is the reference photo that she snuck out of the house to give me.

Here is a photo of her holding the birthday present for her husband.

Here are three photos showing the painting as it moved toward completion. As you can see, I had trouble getting his mouth right.