Portraits to Comfort, Encourage and Inspire
"Come as Children," 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas portrait, Copyright 2017 by Matt Philleo, artist.
"Picking up the Mantle" 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas, by artist Matt Philleo
"Rebuilding the Broken, 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas, depicting Nehemiah rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, an illustration by artist Matt Philleo for a book by Russell Stendal, published by Aneko Press, 2018
"Bethel Mural: The Gospel from Genesis to Revelation", by artists Dave Mattison and Matt Philleo, 2013, panel 2, detail
"Strength to Rise", 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas by artist Matt Philleo, copyright 2017
"Victory in Surrender" 16 x 20, acrylic on canvas, by Matt Philleo.
Portraits to Comfort, Encourage and Inspire
Hi, I’m Matt Philleo. Since 1991, I have been creating detailed, realistic pencil drawings and acrylic paintings on commission and exhibition.
My goal is, through beautiful and emotive art, to bring comfort, encouragement, and inspiration, especially to the discouraged and brokenhearted, so they can experience true and lasting peace.
Please contact me if you have any questions and visit my blog posts to see my most current work. If you’d like to be added to my personal and confidential email list, sign up right here.
To learn more about my custom portraits, visit TraditionStudio.com, my official commissioned artwork page
Thanks for visiting!
“Inscribed”
14″ x 17″
Pencil on Paper
UPCOMING SHOWS:
- 11th Annual Artisans Showcase–Merrill, WI. February 9, 2019 | 12-4:30PM (More info)
- Realistic Acrylic Portraits: A Two-Day Worskshop. March 12-13, 10:30AM-3:30PM (More info)
Here’s the Latest From My Blog…
It’s for the Children
Last weekend, I had a wonderful opportunity to be able to do live portrait sketches at the United Special Sportsman Alliance Summerfest Event held in Pittsville, WI. This was kind of a summer camp for children with special needs, offering them various outdoor activities like archery, fishing, kayaking, paddleboats, horseback riding, and crafts. And every event was free. Many vendors came from different places to volunteer their time and resources to be a blessing to hundreds of disabled and special needs children. This was a place where they felt welcomed, special, and not alone. So I set up my tent Friday morning, and started sketching portraits around 9am. Instead of doing the sketches on a first come first served basis like I usually do, most of the sketches were by appointment. This allowed the people to go and enjoy the day, and then come back at time they were scheduled. I must have sketched about 50 faces between Friday and Saturday morning, each one taking about 10-15 minutes. One portrait that stood out in my mind was of a African American boy, about 14, with down’s syndrome. Although mostly non-verbal, he exuded charm. He would lift his eyebrows up and down and wink at me, in a completely innocent yet seemingly flirtatious way. Since the portraits were set up mainly by appointment, people that walked by and wanted one done had to be fit in the schedule. There was a girl who would not be deterred. She kept coming back several times, even though I was busy with the appointment sketches, that when I had the smallest window... read more
Why I Like Drawing Portraits Live
When you watch a talk show or hear a speech, do you like it better live or rehearsed? Just think about that for a moment. Your and my political opinions aside, there is a reason why a certain candidate for president has such a large following. People like spontaneity. It can be dangerous sometimes, but it has a way of reaching, relating to people that something planned and rehearsed cannot. Last Saturday, I signed up to share a tent with three fellow artists at Artisan Forge Studios at the Artist’s Market held in Phoenix Park, here in Eau Claire. It was an absolutely beautiful day–sunny, not too hot, with a gentle breeze. A perfect day for doing drawing live portraits. We got set up at around 7 am, and things were slow for the first couple hours. Then, around 9 am, things really took off. The market was starting to get busier with more people passing by every minute. I asked one my fellow artists to sit for me and I did a free portrait of him to “prime the pump.” That portrait broke the ice and soon enough I had a small line of people interested. I ended the day having done several portraits and the last drawing was 4 faces on one paper! Here’s why I love doing live pencil portraits (though I still like drawing from photos too.) 1. It keeps your drawing skills fresh. Capturing a person’s likeness in about 10-15 minutes is not easy, especially when they move around. (I often find that children hold still better than some adults do!) In addition, the challenge... read more
I do Custom Fine Art Portraits from Your Photo.
For more info, click on the image, and it will take you to Tradition Studio.com, my official commissioned artwork website.
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