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 fingerprint for each Zebra while most other species of Zebras have much wider stripes. The Grevy Zebras do not have stripes on their bellies but do have a long stripe from the top of their head to the end of their tail. They have big heads and large round ears and weigh 770lbs to 990lbs and the largest of the three species of Zebras and the most threatened. The Grevy Zebras were named after Jules Grevy the President of France from 1879-1887. They are also referred to as Imperial Zebras.

I was crouching very close to these two Grevy Zebras and was mesmerized for six hours and then the mother laid down as be baby foal moved closer to her. What a moment!!!

This painting took me 5 months to draw and paint. The stripes had to be exact. I used slightly lighter coloration’s of  brown pastels for the young Foal since they are born reddish brown and grow darker as they mature.

For the past 20 or so years I have been working with an expert in Digital Fine Art. I combine this advanced technical process with traditional painting. We work together to digitally scan my original painting making sure to capture the whole look of the colors, contrast,  brightness, texture and the look of pastel.  Since I work on archival heavy cotton Fine Art Water Color paper the Digital paper is the same. It takes 5 or 6 takes sometimes more to make sure the digital image using archival inks is just like the original in every way possible. Every work I create I use museum quality materials.

Once I have my Digital Image it is mounted and I start the process of hand painting the digital image with layers of pastel and sometimes multi-media since I want each Art Collectible to be slightly different. This process takes about three weeks and then I choose incredible frame like this one from Italy with a wooden Silver Leaf frame on the outside and a second Black inner frame.

These Art Collectibles I create are labor intensive however they present themselves as a another beautiful one of  a kind  fine art original.  This “Tender Moment”   has layers of pastel and is framed with an Italian made of  solid wooden brushed light pewter color with black and matching inside frames.  An absolutely gorgeous work of art.

L.A. CLINE

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Daoud’s Fine Jewelry Charity Event

One of the beautiful patients drawing for the prizes

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 L.A. Cline could walk in the pens and feel totally comfortable with the horses. The Artist took this opportunity to capture the essence of these two wonderful animals close up for this painting.To see more works of Artist, L.A. Cline, visit the on-line Fine Art Store.
Until December 9th, 2015, with each Giclee gift purchase from the Fine Art Store the Artist will donate 10% of each sale to this charity when you mention this article. Support your local communities by shopping at businesses in your area.

Patrick Daoud owner of Daoud’s Fine Jewelry introducing the winner of Artist, L.A. CLINE’s donation.

Full House at Daoud’s Fine Jewelry Charity event with Artist L.A. CLINE and Jay CLINE posing for a photographer.

L.A. CLINE has been a Master Pastel Artist for close to 40 years commissioned to create Custom Fine Art Pastel Paintings that include; Corporate, Government, Family, Pet and Memorial Portrait Paintings. The Artist has also created a collection of Nature Paintings that include; Florals, Landscapes and Wildlife paintings that are available as Fine Art Enhanced Giclee Reproductions of the originals in the on-line Fine Art Store.The L.A. CLINE Sports Collection has been featured on ABC’s Channel 10, South Florida Sun Life Football Stadium, and the BB&T Hockey Arena in Florida.The Artist is also a long standing member of the Pastel Society of America, New York.

L.A. CLINE’S Corporate Portraits are in Courthouses on permanent display. Two Giclee Reproductions of Corporate Memorial Courthouse Paintings of Federal Judge Aronovitz and Judge Lawson E. Thomas are at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, DC, at the American Art and Portrait Gallery Library, “Living Artists File”. This file can be viewed by the public to see and learn about our American Heroes through the works that “Living Artists” have created in their images. This file also serves as an important recommendation for future commissions for the Artists in this file.In April of 2013, the curator of the White House accepted the portfolio of L.A. CLINE and keeps the portfolios of potential portrait Artists on file.

In January of 2014 the Lauderdale Yacht Club had their 7th Annual Fine Art Show where the art of L.A. CLINE won the People’s Choice Award.L.A. CLINE had a one man showing of eight Framed Floral Giclee Works of Art, at the Neiman Marcus, Fort Lauderdale Gift Galleries Department.This biography are some of the career highlights of Artist L.A. CLINE.

Happy Holidays!
L.A. CLINE, Master Pastel Artist, Fort Lauderdale
www.LACfineart.com
LAC@LACfineart.com
954-850-1056

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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 for special letters to your friends. A Giclee print is the finest reproduction process that is a close match to the original, and they are very affordable.

Take a look at the Pet Portrait gallery, look at the art and read the Further Detail pages for the back stories of each pastel painting.

Having a pet is a wonderful way to learn all about love.

Written by L.A. Cline, Master Pastel Artist
L.A. Cline, Master Pastel Artist for over 30 years is a professional artist that has been commissioned to create custom pastel paintings of various subject matter from pet portraits, corporate portraits, family portraits, landscape paintings, nature paintings, wildlife paintings, entertainment and sports portrait paintings and so much more.

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Pastel Painting “Tender Moment” L.A. Cline Master Pastel Artist

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 feet tall with the males weighing 770 to 990 pounds.  Every Grevy Zebra has its own set of identifiing stripes that are individual to each animal.  There are no markings on their bellies and the general characteristics are their: big heads, long necks, large rouneded ears, smaller more delicated striped patterns with more distinction between the black stripes and a stripe that extend from their head main all the way down to their tails.   This species of  Zebras was given as a gift to Jules Grevy the Presdient of the Third Republic Regime of France in 1882.  Hence the species is called, Grevy Zebras.

I  love learning about animals and creating nature paintings of  beautiful Wildlife especially the “Tender Moment” between these two Grevy Zebras.

Written by :  L.A. Cline, Master Pastel Artist

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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 when your working with painting animals.  It takes hours until a “Tender Moment” happens.  This one  happened on a hot summers day when the Mother decided to lie down.  The baby had a lower perseptive and they could look into eachother’s eyes as her baby walked over for some mothers milk or maybe for a little loving.

Written by: L.A. Cline, Master Pastel  Artist

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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 of Kenya and in a few southern regions of Ethiopia.

One interesting fact I found is that the Grevy Zebra was named in honor of Jules Grevy, who received this species as a gift.  He was the President of the Third Republic regime of France in 1882. As you may not know… the more research the artist does, the better one can achieve the creative readiness, mood and motivation, not to mention the insight needed to successfully capture and paint every aspect of what will be called a “Masterpiece”.

Now that I have done most of my research and finished this pencil sketch to-scale, I have the information I need to start the painting.

It’s always exciting starting a new painting. I have yet to name the painting, so if you have some ideas I would love to hear them.

Check back as the painting progresses and to  all a Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Master Pastel Artist: L.A. Cline

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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 to sign when hiring a Portrait Artist once all the details have been worked out. The final delivery date is important. If you are planning to have a portrait created for a particular event or within a certain timeframe, give yourself four or five months more time,  just to be safe when commissioning the artist.

5. At my first official meeting, I like to sketch and take photographs as guides for the very important pencil sketch to-scale, which I create prior to starting the painting. This way everyone has an idea of exactly what to expect.

6. Make sure the Artist does the research needed for each creation before you commisssion the artist. Everything has a history and there must be an open dialog to investigate why a certain color, vase, pet, or décor is something the client wants in the painting. Why did they use that color or what kind of cat is their beloved pet? Make sure the Artist is informed and asks questions that are important to you.

7. Every Artist has their own way of doing preliminary work before a painting. The objective here is to make the client feel comfortable and as excited as the Artist is to create this new Masterpiece. Not every Artist does a detailed pencil sketch to scale. I create one, so that a client can personally approve it before I start the actual painting. Whether my clients are around-the-corner or around-the-world, I keep them informed either by personal studio visits or by email.

8. All Portrait Artists are aware of the preservation of their work. The materials should be of the best quality and on acid-free surfaces.

9. Clients should see the painting at least twice before the Artist starts the finishing process. Once a painting is finished, and before I begin framing, I always have a viewing for my clients. After that, I scan each finished painting for my archives and along with the Original Painting I give an 8”X10” giclee of the work to my clients. I also have the ability to create very special Fine Art Note Cards of the painting, as a lovely way for clients to write their personal notes.

10. The most important thing about the portrait painting is that the painting looks like the subject. No matter what the background details show, the subject is what it’s all about. That is the key to a Masterpiece Painting. Portraits are a gift of love.

Written by: L.A. Cline, Master Pastel Artist, www.LACfineart.com

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