Category Archives: painting

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 artist, guerrilla portraiture, painting live, painting people from life, portrait sketch | Tagged , | Comments (2)

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 artist, guerrilla portraiture, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting live | Tagged , , , , | Comments (52)

Reading Proust and Duras at Epoch Coffee

December 30, 2009 – 1:16 pm

He looked very smart, and I just love sentimentalists. I myself have a thing for John Singer Sargent, who was a contemporary of Proust, so I can understand the attraction to certain artist of the Victorian era who weren’t particularly Victorian. Of Proust, I know very little.  This young man could probably tell you a […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, artist, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting live, painting people from life | Tagged , , , | Comments (12)

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 artist, guerrilla portraiture, oil painting, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, 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 artist, guerrilla portraiture, oil painting, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting live, painting people from life | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment

I Painted Martin Button in My Studio

November 9, 2009 – 9:05 am

Here is Martin. We all love him. Martin is originally from New Zealand. He first came over to America to attend college at Berkley. He is a seismic engineer, and a structural engineer. At the present time, he is working on Building No. 7 (WTC), the Chinese Ferris Wheel (largest in the world), and many […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, figure painting, painting people from life, portraiture | Tagged , , , , | Comments (3)

I Painted Two Men in Deep Conversation at Epoch

August 28, 2009 – 12:42 pm

The tattooed man was there earlier, sitting outside. He had a brief conversation with the baristra, Ben.  The man on the right showed up about fifteen minutes later, and they came inside and sat opposite each other. I could only hear “she blah-blah-blah” running through their conversastion. It is difficult to capture two people who […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, oil painting, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting live, painting technique, portrait sketch, portraiture, sketching | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (6)

I Painted Her at Royal Ground Coffee in San Raphael, Ca.

August 7, 2009 – 10:52 am

This is one of the only 2 paintings that I was able to do while I was on vacation out in Marin County recently. My sister-in-law dropped me off at this coffee house in San Raphael. I was really nervous, since it was my first attempt outside of Austin. I just loved her pink ruffly […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, guerrilla artist, guerrilla portraiture, oil painting, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting people from life, portrait sketch, portraiture, sketches | Tagged , , , | Comments (2)

I Painted Her at the Spider House

July 13, 2009 – 4:03 pm

I think that this might be Silona Bonewald, a local techie. She’s really smart – she’s working on “Transparency in government issues”.  She’s kind of a local geek celebrity.

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, artist, guerrilla portraiture, Oil Sketches Live at Coffee Houses, painting live, painting people from life | Comments (10)

Final Painting for the Upcoming Show: Waiting Forever

March 30, 2009 – 10:42 am

Sometimes, we’ve been spurned. Or, we’re stuck in an existential funk as in Bunuel’s film “No Exit”.  Why do we feel that we have to stay for the ending? My show of studio work is coming up on April 4th.  I will also be showing a few of the coffee house paintings. If you are […]

By Lavanna Martin | Also posted in alla prima, art, artist, artists, chamber painting, oil painting, painting of interior | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (9)