This painting is David's favorite.  He bought this one at a local fan run Sci-Fi/Fantasy Convention called ORYCON.  It was painted by an artist living in Aloha, Oregon, here in the States.  Her name is April Bullard. She painted it in 1994.

He spent over $400.00 reframing it with a three part frame. He does not feel he would trade this painting for the actual "Mona Lisa" if offered.  It is hard to describe, but this is a most powerful piece, and he does not seem to get tired of gazing at it.  He felt guilty for having  paid so little for it, even though he gave the Artist more that the asking price, and then sent her over half again as much later on.

"Welcoming Gaze"
or "Woman with Curtain" working title
18" by 24" oil on masonite
artist - April Bullard

I (April) began this painting during two sessions of what I call "side by side painting". An artist friend and I set up our easels, chairs, and painted side by side. For a little more than three hours per session, we worked and painted. I worked on what became "Welcoming Gaze", and she worked on a piece of her own.

     We questioned each other’s work and talked as we worked. We explained our composition choices, colors, and various brush or media techniques on the work side of the process. We also explained the story and/or the feelings that we wanted to bring out in the paintings.

     For my part, I wanted a colorful portrait of an inviting young woman. She should be older than jailbait, but less than 30. A woman, not a girl. I liked the look and the revealing qualities of the harem pants, but didn’t want limit her to a specific time or place. I originally painted the ‘shirt’ extremely transparent, but I didn’t want her to seem too sleazy, so the shirt became more and more opaque, until I felt she was more genuine than cheap.

     I love color. The more vibrant, and richly intense I can get, the more I like it. At the same time, I hope to harmonize, and keep the colors from pulling the painting apart, and let the subject speak.

     I believe the talking and questioning my way through the first two painting sessions of this work improved my basic techniques and gave me a little more confidence. The last few sessions of painting were pure fun, and I hope helped create a beautiful piece you can enjoy.

November 7, 1997