Recently I had my friends from Papercut Magazine over to the studio to shoot photos for their cover. The shoot was a lot of fun and we all got to talking about and fashion and this crazy city that we all live in.

Click on any image to view the full size version on Flickr.

When it was time for the next issue, it seems they did not forget the little people and they revisited me in Studio 11 at The Distillery to sit down and talk again. Read the interview in this months Papercut.

Also, I was featured in last months Poets And Artists Magazine so, if you missed that, be sure to check it out.

So, this is my 100th blog post on NickWardOnline. It has taken forever since I have only posted updates as new paintings develop or I manage to weasel my way into interesting events or shows but here we are at the big 100th post.

To celebrate I am going to make a new print to give away to anyone who reads my site, here or on Facebook notes.

So, it will be a multi-color hand pulled screen print but, the choice of image is yours.

1. another print based on one of the make-up girls paintings.
2. a print based on one of the sunbather girls.
3. an entirely new print, a sneak peak into the next series.

Anyone who wants can leave a comment on my site or on Facebook, or email me with your vote for image choice.

After that, anyone who reads these posts that wants a print can just send me an email letting me know that they want a copy of the print. I will give everyone a few weeks or maybe a month to respond to make sure nobody gets left out, then I will make a run of prints. Then, I will send everyone a hand pulled limited edition screen print.

It has been a few weeks since I have posted any new art but, that is not because I have been slacking. I have been in the studio hermit style, never seeing the sun, working on these large paintings, cleaning up around the place and moving to a new space (with windows!).

Anyways, if anyone is out there listening here is my latest painting in progress. A portrait of one of my favorite girls, the beautiful (and infamous) Lisa. I have painted her so many times before but, for some reason the results are never what I had hoped for. She has such a unique face that has just been too much for me to wrap my head around when working on the previous portraits. With that in mind, I sat down, determined to concentrate hard and do her justice. It has, as always, been a struggle but, so far things are working out nicely.

It feels good to be at a point where every painting is better than the last and the paints are doing what I tell them… hopefully I can keep the momentum.

After spending all week locked up in the studio I have another new portrait to share. I am not sure if a small jpeg can do this latest painting justice. I am really starting to get accustomed to painting on the larger panels and this latest one benefitted from my increased comfort. The brush work is more loose and the paint is going on easier. I brought some focus back onto the color shifts and feel good about the results.

In any case, here it is, about halfway completed:

This portrait is nearly completed and, I am pretty happy with how it came out. Stephani is such a unique looking girl so I really enjoy painting her (even if she does not always enjoy it). The composition is sort of weird but, I think it works here. Mirror’s eye view.

Next in line is a large painting based on the same image I used in the last panel of this series (love that eyeball stretch).