The Art of James Yale / Commisioned Portraits

A new commission for a large fantasy painting of a mother and child. She wants to be painted as a mermaid, with her little boy, that has been transformed into a small Elfin creature. He is combing her long hair as she sits at the waters edge.

This is a painting of the late Carl Totemeier.

It was commissioned by his wife Jean, for the "Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks" in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Carl is shown tending his garden Hostas. He was painted with his old shovel (in the back ground), hand spade and garden hose.

Pamela was living in England when she was visiting a friend in the States and commissioned her portrait.
She wanted to be sitting and looking out the window to the garden. Lost in her thoughts and dreaming about life's journey and love.

" Girl in red velvet dress "

20"x 24"

This was commissioned by her grandfather. She was painted in her Christmas dress of red velvet, with a white lace collar and pink rose on her sash.

Yale has painted portraits spanning four generations of his same family.

Life Sized Portraits are made from making sketches and taking photographs and measurements of the models.
When possible live mask are made from the model. From there a rigid plaster cast is made in sections. The cast is reassembled and terra-cotta clay is worked into the mold.
It air dries to a consistency that can easily be removed from the mold. It is reworked by opening up the eyes and changing the facial expression.
Hair is styled. Clothes are added. Sometimes even eyeglasses are added to complete the persons look.
The finished piece is then set to air dry for a few days. From there it goes to a kiln and is high fired to set the clay like stone. After the firing, the piece is removed from the kiln and a hand rubbed patina or finish is applied per the clients request. Finished wood bases are offered to finish the piece.

The hard hat below accompanied the bust of Leo Heckathorn. It is a fired clay sculpture. Note if you look closely...you will see a lion (Leo) on his hard hat.

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Commissioned Portraits

Welcome to Yale Art Studio

Yale is shown in his studio, painting a commissioned portrait of the late Carl Totemeier, for the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks.

Yale has received commissions by clients and patrons around the world. His work is growing in demand the last forty five years. He continues to accept and paint commissions that interest him. Some of the commissions have great enough appeal, from their subject matter and pose, that they are turned into limited edition prints and sold internationally.

Below are a few examples of his portraits, from simple pencil sketches ( that are primarily used as studies for client's approval for making the finished oil portraits ) to large masterfully painted oils on canvas.

Close up detail of Ian and Connie

The process involves meeting with the client and listening carefully to their initial ideas and concepts. The clients are asked to bring photographs, books or clippings of images they like, that show how they want their commission to look. A great deal of time is spent just getting to know them and explore their dreams and fantasies, their wants and desires. Notes are taken and small thumbnail sketches are made, so both the artist and client can agree on the direction and final design, for the commission. Digital photographs are taken, reviewed on the computer and selected all in the same session. Size of the proposed painting and cost are finalized and a deposit is made and contract signed. From there full sized layout sketches are made, for the client to choose from or make any necessary comments or changes, before work is started on the actual painting.

A Collection of Work starting with: Conte` sketches, Pastel portraits, Pen & Ink Portraits, Water Color Portraits and Portraits in Oils. Also shown are Terra-Cotta Portrait Sculptures.

Conte` Drawings & Portrait Sketches

This is a Conte` Portrait Sketch of Natashia, in the style of a Leonardo Da Vinci drawing of the 15th century.

The sketch is made on a 11"x 15" parchment paper with white, reddish brown and black French drawing crayons.

ale

Conte` Portrait Sketch

Ray Yale

( the artist' father )

Doctor Benjamin Spock 1979

This is a detailed study of part of a larger composition. The painting was used as

an illustration for an article Doctor Spock wrote on his views of pro life and anti

nuclear destruction, for a leading magazine.

Cherry Brooks 1979

She is the most fantastic Jazz, blues and rock vocalist and performer you will ever meet.

Yale gave this sketch to Cherry for

modeling for a painting.

Bill Clinton 1979

Governor of Arkansas

during his first tem

Pastel Portraits

The Conte` sketch is simple and fun to do. It is the lowest price portrait that Yale produces in his studio

Yale started working with pastels in the mid 60's. For over 20 years he sketched Charcoal and Conte` portraits from coast to coast.

This is a portrait sketch

Sam Walton

founder of WAL* MART

commissioned in 1979

by his wife, Helen

Lady with glasses and a lovely smile
Its fascinating to watch your own reflection in another persons eye glasses as you try to draw of paint the.

Most pastels that Yale created were from live sittings. Some wee sketched in as little as 45 minutes...others took hours depending on the subject.

               Pastel Portrait

                           of

                    Mike Cline

He owned a frame shop and gallery in Rogers, Arkansas

Once in a magazine interview, Yale was asked how many portrait sketches he had done over the years, his closest estimate was over two thousand.

After years of breathing pastel dust and plastic spray fixative Yale had to give up working with pastels.

Pen and Ink Portraits

Sam & Helen Walton

founders of WAL* MART

Commissioned for the Walton Appreciation Day Festival in Bentonville

October 8th 1983

Bob The Potter at work in his studio in Eureka Springs, Arkansas

Circa 1973

Yale made a lot of pen and ink drawings of fellow artist, craftsmen

and musicians. Most of them were commissioned to be used as their personal advertisements as brochures posters and music album covers.

Water Color Portraits

Charlie Parker

( Bird Man )

This started out as a pencil sketch on water color paper that was rendered with pen and ink and a water color was was being added when a Tyson Foods Executive saw if for the first time. He commissioned Yale to finish the entire composition in water color. He is a big fan of the Bird Man...and so is Yale.

After finishing the Charlie Parker water color, the same patron commissioned Yale to paint this water color

"Night Scene in the Rain"

It shows 52nd Street in New York City and the famous... "3 Deuces Club" with a sign below that advertised... "Charlie Parker"

Water Color Portrait of little girl playing the piano

Just a moment caught in time...and we wonder if this little girl grew up to be a famous musician.

This was a commission in trade for her father that helped build Yale Art Studio over looking Beaver Lake in 1991.

"The General Lee Rides Again"

This water color and several other originals were commissioned for the corporate collection of Ertyl Toy Company

More examples from this water color series of little children and their pets or toys are shown below.

In the early eighties Yale received more commissions to paint water colors of children than he could count.

He also was commissioned to do water color illustrations of small children for advertising agencies and packaging manufactures.

He used his own children, Ely and Allison, as his models for most of these.

Portraits in Oils on Canvas

" Carl Totemeier "

Original Oil 24"x 38"

Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks

Formal Corporate Portraits

"John Tyson "

Founder of Tyson Foods

30"x 40" Corporate Portrait

" Randal Tyson "

Son of John Tyson

30"x 40" Corporate Portrait

" Gary George "

George's Inc.

30"x 40" Corporate Portrait

" Gene George "

George's Inc.

30"x 40" Corporate Portrait

Informal, Casual Portraits

" Dan Moody "

20"x 24"

"Pamela Robinson "

18"x 24"

" Sam Smith "

16"x 20"

"Ella Carnall "

24"x 36"

" Portraits of the Hodous Family Children "

Commissioned by their father. All children were painted in an outdoor vignette style 16"x 20" each

" Rayaak with the Unicorn in the Garden of Avalon "

30"x 40"

" Willie Nelson 2005 concert in Eureka Springs "

22"x 32"

If you are interested in "commissioning" a portrait or other type of painting and want to contact

Yale Art Studio "CLICK HERE"

Terra-Cotta Portrait Sculpture

" E. Fay Jones"

life sized bust

natural wax and pumice finish

" Joyce Lambeth "

life sized bust

white glaze and hand rubbed oil and wax finish

" Leo Heckathorn "

life sized bust

Full color was applied to the fired clay

a final wax and pumice finish was then applied

He always wore his sun glasses o they were included

" Sherrie Hall "

life sized bust

antique copper and oil glaze patina with wax finish

" Eli Yale "

life sized bust

work in progress

Painting of Albert Einstein surrealistically set in a cosmic space background. He contemplates theories of time and space and its relativity to our universe. He was always dreaming and working to find a constant or 'unifying theory' when the only constant is 'change'.

Usually several different sketches are made, for the client to choose from, that capture the feeling and mood t in the final painting.

These full sized drawings are used to create the image on the canvas. Sometimes the clients ask for them and frame them to go along with their finished commission.

Commissioned Portraits

are a time honored tradition and a valuable treasure for generations to come.

Every portrait has its challenge to make an accurate representation of the subject. There are many things to consider and incorporate into each design. This helps to tell the story an enables the artist to represent the subjects personality as well as their outward physical appearance.

The portraits are painted in oils on a high quality portrait grade canvas.

Each commission is appropriately framed to compliment the portrait and the client's decor, where the finished painting is to be exhibited.

These are some of Yale's

favorite portraits.

This is a casual portrait of Dan Moody.

He is stand in the studio gardens and resting on his golf club, as if it were the 18th green and he had just finished a wonder day with a very good score.

Dan was the Sheriff of Benton County, Arkansas

when he commissioned

his portrait. He wanted to include his favorite wood club and his gold FBI ring, to add to the story told by the painting.

This is a dear old friend, Sam Smith.

Sam owned Chelsea's

Tavern in Eureka Springs.

Sam and his brother, Lou called themselves, "The Swingsmiths". They played Jazz and Swing music all toured with big bands all over the world. His home was Chicago till he retired and moved to Arkansas.

Sam loved gardening...as you can see in the painting.

This painting of Ella Carnall was commissioned by Joyce Lambeth for the foyer of Carnall Hall, for whom it was named. It is the second oldest building on the campus of the University of Arkansas.

Joyce's husband, James Lambeth, was originally going to do the painting but died from a heart attack. He was the architect that was trying to save the old women's dormitory from being demolished. They were converting it into a restaurant and hotel.

Yale only had one, black and white, old photograph of Ella's face to work from. He had to research the correct dress of the period and add the rest of the elements in the composition.

The original painting hangs in the foyer / entrance to the restaurant.

This is a Fantasy Portrait
Commissioned by
Cheryl Welch.

She wanted the fantasy painting to illustrate the cover of a new book she
was writing. It was tentatively entitled "Rayaak".
It is a story set in the time of King Author, in the land of Avalon.

" Willie Nelson"
18"x 28"

These two paintings of Willie Nelson were originally commissioned for a benefit auction to raise money for one of Willie's favorite charities.

Yale worked from photographs taken by Richard Quick at the "Willie Nelson & Family Concert" in Eureka Springs, May 8th. 2005

Life sized terra-cotta sculpted bust
of
E. Fay Jones

Internationally know and acclaimed architect.

This sculpture shows the color and texture of the natural reddish color of the terra-cotta clay.

Fay requested that it have a natural had rubbed wax finish with no color or other chemicals added.

Commissioned by her husband James Lambeth

James was a solar architect, designer, writer, publisher and a very good friend.

Commissioned by the president of the Bank of Fayetteville.

Leo was in charge of construction of the new bank. He was a great construction supervisor and engineer. He worked all over the world on large projects of all types.
While abroad he contracted a type of cancer that literally ate away his flesh including his nose. He wore a plastic nose and sun glasses and kept on working no matter what the odds were.
The bank wanted the piece to look "pretty" and how he use to look. Leo simply said, "Hell no...I'm proud of who and what I am...and I want it to look just like me".

This piece was part of eight life sculpted bust that comprised a solo exhibit of Yale's sculpture and drawings in the Rotunda of the Arkansas State capitol Building in 1980

This piece was originally commissioned to be donated to Yale University.

Harold Yale, the artist uncle, modeled for the sculpture, as he was an exact look-a-like for the original painting of Eli Yale