Lately, I have been up to my ears in projects and paintings, all traditional, which is a part of the reason for my absence from DA for some time now. I recently participated in a Vegas Streets event painting before a live audience which was exhilarating and liberating at the same time. I have never done anything like that before, save for painting with a class of fellow artists, but this was entirely a different thing altogether. There must have been about 1,000 people standing behind me at the peak of the performance. I did a large colorful portrait of Martin Luther King on a 4 foot by 4 foot Masonite panel all in the space of 6 hours or less, considering the breaks I took. I'll post pics later of the painting, something more of a sketch by my own standards, but at the same time, something a lot more painterly of who I really am when I just go off and do my thing. I think I would have done even more if I hadn't been so worried about getting paint on the audience. ha! I should have let er rip and sold umbrellas for the voyeurs enjoying the process. If you can't tell...I had a blast doing it and have been asked to come out and do it again next May. So...if you are in Vegas, head to Vegas Streets to catch me doing the next one.

Aside from that detour in my art, I'm also making many new traditional portraits and landscapes that I will be posting to DA as soon as they are completed. If you are a new watcher, please take a look at my current gallery which hold a sampling of work I have done over the past several years including personal work, school work, professional work, and everything in between.

-Nortenyo