| FUZZY FAMILY PORTRAITS |
| By Richard Murnak |
| Oil pastel artwork of your favorite pet to honor, memorialize or give as a gift. |
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| My Philosophy of Portraiture |
There is a difference between an exact photographic likeness and an
interpretive work of art. The difference is in the eye, style and skill of the
artist in capturing an “essence” of the subject’s personality. That is the
“art”. If what you want is something indistinguishable from a photograph,
then it makes sense to take a beautiful photograph. But the best of
photographs are sometimes static and don’t seem to capture the spirit of
the subject, human or animal. That’s where the eye, hand and
interpretation of the artist emerges. You don’t just want to see the subject,
you want to feel that spirit, too. Capturing warmth and personality is the
skill where the result isn’t just a likeness, it’s a presence. And that’s the
real reason for the portrait.
OIL PASTELS
I work in oil pastels because it is the medium that lends itself to the various needs of the subject, as
well as being flexible in its appearance. Because it is warm, soft and blendable with the finger and
other tools, it can appear to have the qualities of many different mediums: the transparency of
water color, the delicacy of dry pastels, as well as the formality of oil or acrylic paint.
I don’t attempt to render the portrait in any particular look, the subject guides me in my
interpretation of it.
I work in oil pastels because it is the medium that lends itself to the various needs of the subject, as
well as being flexible in its appearance. Because it is warm, soft and blendable with the finger and
other tools, it can appear to have the qualities of many different mediums: the transparency of
water color, the delicacy of dry pastels, as well as the formality of oil or acrylic paint.
I don’t attempt to render the portrait in any particular look, the subject guides me in my
interpretation of it.
