Category Archives: guerrilla artist

Big-Eyed Girl at Epoch

July 16, 2010 – 9:01 am

I’m at my happiest when I can capture someone in less than ten minutes, as is the case here. She sported a summer cut, a style influenced by the French (I lived in Paris for 6 months almost 20 years ago). She had it blackened, it was straight, and shiny – a fantastic look that […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, artist, guerrilla portraiture, painting, painting live, painting people from life, portrait sketch | Tagged , | Comments (2)

He was in the Corner at Epoch

July 7, 2010 – 9:44 am

My friend Lauren Hamilton Levy and I set out for Epoch yesterday, and we got lucky – we found a pretty good table. The guy next to us, in the corner, was hunkered down for a long spell. He was very thin and East Coast in appearance. (We never wear NorthFace apparel in the summer). […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, guerrilla portraiture, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting people from life, portrait sketch, sketches | Tagged , , , | Comments (5)

He was Working the Crossword at the Spider House

June 16, 2010 – 11:41 am

When he very first arrived during morning rush hour, I thought that he was going to be there for a very short time. I was wrong: he was still there, four hours later. My friend, Lauren, and I moved from our table behind him, and sat where we could see his face. There were so […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in art, artist, portrait sketch, Spider House | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment

Hipster in Black Shawl Collared Coat at the SpiderHouse

February 27, 2010 – 8:47 am

I went to Spider House to meet my daughter, yesterday. It was sunny, and crisp. The two of us were not able to sit together because it was too bright for my daughter’s laptop. I found the perfect table, right in the sun. Very few people were outside, and I soon found out why: it […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, guerrilla portraiture, painting people from life, portrait sketch | Tagged , , | Comments (7)

I Painted the Pretty Hipster at SpiderHouse

January 25, 2010 – 9:07 am

We had a beautiful, sunny and warm day here in Austin last week. I went to SpiderHouse with Erin Park-Markert, one of my art students, to meet my daughter. We sat out on the patio, right beside this large group of “hipsters”, as my daughter calls them. They had pulled two tables together to accomodate […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, Austin Hippie, guerrilla portraiture, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting live, painting people from life, portrait sketch | Tagged , , , | Comments (20)

Conducting Business at Epoch Coffee

January 18, 2010 – 10:11 am

She came in and sat down with a coworker at the storefront table next to me. With her shiny black hair, and the widely woven houndstooth coat were just too good to pass up. I was in the middle of painting her profile, when her phone rang.  It seemed important. There was an interchange of […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, figure painting, guerrilla portraiture, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting, painting live | Tagged , , , , | Comments (52)

Girl Genius Writes Code at FlightPath Coffee

January 5, 2010 – 7:49 pm

My daughter and I went to FlightPath Coffee during Finals Week before Christmas. This young brainiac came in late with her friend, and snagged one of the best tables. I don’t know if she knew how lucky she was – probably not. These Einstein- types can be totally unaware of the world around them. She […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, guerrilla portraiture, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting live, portrait sketch, portraiture, sketches | Tagged , , , | Comments (43)

I Painted the Guy in the Panama Hat at Epoch

December 9, 2009 – 12:20 pm

He was reading the paper, and chatting with two girls at Epoch Coffee.  He had his folded hands resting on his forehead for just a few moments – long enough for me to get the gesture. He seemed to be  filled with the youthful optimism that everything will work itself out for the best. But […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, artist, figure painting, guerrilla portraiture, oil painting, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting, painting live, painting people from life, portrait sketch, portraiture, sketches | Tagged , , , , | Comments (12)

I Painted Enrique at the Apothecary Cafe

December 6, 2009 – 1:13 pm

The Apothecary Cafe is the new coffee house and wine bar that opened up its doors recently. It is in my neighborhood, and I can walk there. The young owners have done a perfect job of combining both the urban and the funk, all tied together with a touch of contemporary Middle Eastern decor. If […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, artist, figure painting, guerrilla portraiture, oil painting, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting, painting live, painting people from life | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment

Detail of the Girl with the French Haircut at Flightpath Coffee

August 14, 2009 – 9:47 am

Would you like to hear a little about technique and decisions that I made as I did this painting? The walls at Flighpath Coffee are sunflower yellow. Why did I not portray this? Well, when I painted the man with dreadlocks the day before, I added in a subdued yellow background, and just hated the […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, guerrilla portraiture, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting live, painting people from life, painting technique | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (16)