Capture more than just a moment,
make it a timeless memory.
Let’s Talk About One of a Kind Art

Let’s Talk About One of a Kind Art

  Some Artists are very prolific and can turn out a painting in a day or a week. These Artists are most apt to be able to sell their originals. There are some Artists such as myself that require time to choose a subject, research and draw preliminary sketches before even starting on a painting that will take 4 to 8 months to create. My name is L.A. CLINE and for over 40 years I have been painting with pastels. I love the way I can layer the pastels and create the soft magnificent texture of what I paint. First, I choose the subject. This is so very important because I have to love what I am painting since I will be working with that subject for months. My paintings must have an everlasting relevance to capture the beauty of our world for generations to admire. People ask me why it takes so long?  It take me four weeks to research and then sketch my subject and set up to paint the original.  When you look at my paintings you will understand the complexity of the many 20 or more layers of pastel I apply to build color, texture, likeness.  I paint in the morning, evening, sunny, cloudy, raining days to make sure that the painting will look great in all weather conditions. No over head lighting is needed because the lighting is built in within the layers of pastel over time. “Tender Moment” is a very emotional and loving painting. Grevy Zebras are on the endangered list because of the their narrow and intricate stripes that reflect a...
The Holidays are also a Time of Giving!

The Holidays are also a Time of Giving!

It all happened at Daoud’s Fine Jewelry in Fort Lauderdale, the evening of December 9th when Patrick Daoud opened his store and his heart in celebration of giving back to the community through a very lovely charity that gives teens who are in and out of the hospitals battling life threatening illnesses such as cancer “A Prom to Remember”. Founder, Brandon Opre came up with the idea to give these young people the ULTIMATE Prom. Donate, Volunteer, Support, Get involved and help these young people to have fun and take a brake from cancer.www.aPromToRemember.org Raffle tickets were sold and put in various bags to be drawn and prizes awarded. Artist, L.A. CLINE, a dear friend of Patrick Daoud was a proud participant donating an 8″X10″ framed canvas Giclee Reproduction of an original painting created by the Artist entitled, “Keeping Close”. This beautiful replica of an original pastel painting of two horses a Dam with her Foal of just three and a half weeks wobbling to stand close to his Mother. The most compelling detail that draws you into this painting besides the protective love between Mother and baby is the fact that the Artist was in the pen with the horses. The viewer is looking directly at the horses in the pen with no fence in front of them. It took 30 to 40 minutes for the horses to calm down and feel comfortable. The owner of the farm and L.A. Cline loved the feeling being around these huge animals. The farm owner and the Artist practiced going into the pens in golf carts until the owner felt that...
Pet Portraits: Treasure Your Companionship for Years to Come

Pet Portraits: Treasure Your Companionship for Years to Come

Our pets mean the world to us, no matter if your pet is a cat, dog, bird, horse or any other pet. You adore them, and they love you in the most complete way. Capturing a timeless Pet Portrait in a custom pastel painting, is a great way to treasure your companionship for many years to come. If you have a Birthday or any special occasion, there would be no substitute for the surprise and pleasure than receiving a beautiful portrait of your pet. When commissioning a custom portrait of your pet, be sure to leave plenty of time before any occasion so the painting will be ready for that special date. All pets have their own personality and their own special look. Like the faces of people, the faces of pets have their own characteristics that make each pet an individual. It is important for the artist to spend time with you and your pet as to capture the essence of your cherished pet. Many pet portraits that are commissioned are Memorial pet portraits. These are very special paintings since you mainly have to discuss with the owner the personality and the special details of the beloved pet. As well as, research the breed and have some guide pictures that will help you create an original pet portrait.  After I finish a pet portrait, my clients usually request a Giclee print of the original pastel painting to put in their office or another room in their home.  The Giclee print is usually smaller than the original and can be given as gifts or made as beautiful note cards...
Is a Painting Ever Really Finished?

Is a Painting Ever Really Finished?

This pastel painting I have created of two Grevy Zebras experiencing their “Tender Moment” may look finished, it is not.  Now that all the stripes are in place, and the forground and background have been painted the finishing process begins. It takes many layers of different Pastel color pigments to make the background color complimentary, the stripes the right amount depth of color with contrast and the foreground colors that indicate a base line so that the animals look weighted down on the ground. The finishing process takes me about a week or more to complete.  This is where I use a magnifying glass to look at all the intricate patterns to make sure they are as they should be.  I will move from right to left looking to correct details and perhaps add a few more.  After I finish this process I look at the painting in all types of lights: morning, noon, evening, sunny and cloudy days and in different rooms, this way the lighting will not be any issue in most every day and evening settings.  I will also finish my spraying so the pastel stays in place.   It’s hard to finish a painting but after working so long with pastels you just know when it’s time to stop and if you know when to stop then you have finished the painting. This painting will be available as a Fine Art Giclee Print .  The painting reproduction will look exactly like the original pastel  painting and would be a masterpiece work of art for any home or office.  The original painting without a frame measures 33″ Wide X  22 1/2″ High.  The painting reproduction will be very close to those measurments. One of the main reasons I painted these magnificent animals is for everyone to be aware that Grevy Zebras are an endangered species.  The Grevy Zebras are the largest of the African Zebra’s nearly 7...
Animal portrait painting “Tender Moment” with Zebra’s

Animal portrait painting “Tender Moment” with Zebra’s

This animal portrait painting of Zebras is very technical as far as the placement of the stripes.  Since every Zebra has their own stripe pattern and each stripe identifies that particular animal, this painting of a mother and her offspring is just as intricate as my portraits of people. Using pastels to create the stripes is a time-consuming and intense process.  Many layers of pastel have to be applied to finally get the crisp lines of the stripes. Even the colors have to be built up from medium to dark so that the end color has the layers of color that will give a rich natural look when the painting of the Zebras is finished. Right now I am very happy to have gotten the mother and her babies face in place.  The face and the legs of these animals are the most complicated areas of the body because of the intricate striped pattern, so to paint this original portrait, moving slowly is key.  While painting this piece, I cannot jump around and paint different areas.  I have to concentrate and do each area next to the most recently completed one, as some stripes connect to others in their overlapping bodies. As a rule, after one year the dark brown zebra stripes generally turn to the familiar black; however, this mother still has some dark brown on her face and neck, while the rest of her body stripes have already turned to more dark black tones.  Her foal, of course, is mostly dark brown with some areas of black. As an animal portrait artist, waiting is the game you play...

Pet Portrait – It’s a Zebra! Masterpiece Pastel Painting has begun

Pet Portrait Artist Sketch of Two Grevy Zebras by ©L.A. Cline After finishing a Memorial Pastel pet portrait Portrait Painting of my clients’ beloved Blue Point Himalayan cat entitled, “Mr. Madison Blue”, I decided to continue with animal portrait theme as my first Masterpiece painting for the New Year 2013. I created the new pencil sketch above of two Grevy Zebras shows a beautiful connection between Mother and her offspring. The Mother decided to lie down to rest on a hot summer’s day and her little offspring is approaching either for a loving nudge or perhaps reminding Mom it’s time to eat.  This is a natural endearing exchange; a beautiful moment to capture in a fine art rendering. Drawing the different striped patterns of each zebra was very complicated, especially because of one zebra being in front of the other.  Every zebra has their own pattern and it is their signature of recognition.   The Grevy Zebras are an endangered species – the largest of the African Zebra’s being nearly seven feet tall, with the Males weighing almost 1,000 pounds.  The foals are browner in color and turn black as they become a year old.  As I studied these beautiful creatures for my artist rendering I noticed that the Grevy Zebras have unique characteristics such as: large heads; long necks; big rounded ears; and smaller, more delicate striped patterns, with more distinction between the black stripes.  Their stripes end to expose their bellies – where there are no markings.  Lastly, there is a stripe that runs from their head mane all the way to down their tails. They now are considered to live in the northern areas...
Tips on how to Hire a Portrait Artist

Tips on how to Hire a Portrait Artist

1. First of all, you must love the Artist’s work. Look at as many pieces as possible, and don’t be shy about calling the Artist or the organization you like the most. 2.  When you decide on a portrait, whether it be Corporate, Family, Pet, Sports, Entertainment portraits or a special Landscape Portrait, ask about the process. When I first spend time with a client, they usually specify what type of portrait they would like. I then explain how I create a detailed pencil sketch to scale, prior to creating the actual painting.  By doing this, my clients can see the face, body, and details of what will become a final product – in the actual size of the painting. We can then all critique the sketch and make corrections, if necessary. I find this process is relaxing for my clients, and it makes the creation process even more fun. 3. After speaking with the Artist and providing all the detailed information necessary, the next question is where to display the completed painting. The Artist should physically see where the space – whether a room, courtroom, business or other area – and understand the lighting, size of the space, et cetera. This helps also guide the conversation about frame size, shape and color. I have longstanding relationships with local framers, who I work with when the time comes.  Since my portraits are pastel paintings, special care is required to create museum-quality environment for these Masterpiece works of art, and I personally supervise the framing process to ensure this. 4. Paintings take time to create so there is usually a contract...