Although I am a traditional realist painter,  sometimes I focus on some aspect of an individual that does not rely on facial expression to convey personality. 

Whenever the eyes are shown, they are automatically the focus of the picture. The individual and his mood therefore becomes primary, sometimes too much so. So sometimes I leave them out.

The model in "Apache Gothic" identified as a First Nations American but had a decided flair for Gothic style. See more in Nudes or Nearly.

Feather tattoos and a faux bear-claw pendant with a few beads on a rawhide strip tell you the man in "Raven's Tattoos" identifies with First Nations Americans. This image also appears with more information in Nudes or Nearly.

"Caravaggio Boy" is one of my favorite portraits. I named it for the similarities I saw in the face of this young man and the young man often portrayed in works by Caravaggio. I believe this is one of the paintings I did after I had seen many Rubens pictures in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts of Belgium. 

The man in "Autoglass" might be an employee or owner of a company that replaces windshields for damaged automobiles. His compact body and thick neck suggest that it takes a fair amount of strength to do his job.

For more information on "Tom's Foot" see  Nudes or Nearly. 

In "Chris" only his black and white hair and the cooler purple in the left background function here as a counterbalance to the pinks and oranges that give this piece an overall "hot" feeling.

One look at "Bling Man" and you need to know nothing more about him. The green leather pants and his large collection of costume jewelry say everything you need to know! This image also appears with more information in Nudes or Nearly.

"Black Youth" at first appears to be all in neutral colors, but there is a slight sage green tone in the background and some reds in the rungs of the wooden stool and the man's skin for variety.

While it is not a literal takeoff of the famous American Regionalist painting, "American Gothic", "Family Affair" is loosely related inasmuch as it is a double portrait of a father and a daughter. Go to Women on this site to see the other half of this diptych.

The side lighting in "Dreadlocks" causes strong lights not just on this dark-complexioned man's face. but creates bright orange light on the tips of some of his dreadlocks.                   

Note the red shadow areas on the face of "The Last Man" and the peachy reflected light in the otherwise shadowy area of his Adam's apple. 

Painting the new beard growth in "Elio" was not as difficult as one might think. Note the red in his ear and the strong edge lighting on the far side of his face.