Nicolas Original Portrait Drawing

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

I have a friend named Nicolas who cheers me up every time I see him. He is smiling almost all of the time. He wears ORANGE after all (the happy, social color), but it suits him really. He has worked in so many parts of the world and in the most interesting jobs, including working for the French Consulate and being an actor in Hollywood. Last night he sat for me while I created a portrait sketch of him.

I hope you enjoy this portrait of Nicolas. He laughed after seeing my sketch and said that now he knows why he will never be married. Modest guy. I do not know if I have ever drawn anyone quite so jovial and I love the personality in this drawing.

Today while I was out spraying fixative over the charcoal and thick paper, my padrone and coinquillino (landlord and roommate, respectively) Luca thought it would be fun to put Nicolas (the drawing, not the man) into his lemon tree. Ok, so each person appreciates art in a different way. Nicolas (the man, not the drawing) would be the kind to turn lemons to lemonade.

But seriously, this original charcoal drawing of a man’s portrait measures 36 x 25 cm (14.25" x 10") and is available.

In the meantime, I have been enjoying schiacciata alla fiorentina, a cake with crème between layers and topped with decorative powdered sugars. It is specifically made by Florentines before Carnevale and has the Florentine fleur-de-lis on the top. It is delicious, and a good thing because the crème makes it not so easy to keep around.

Self Portrait Painting

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

My friend Rodney is not the first person to ask me why I have not painted my self-portrait before. I often get this question from my students or other beginning artists. And I always feel confused when I hear this. So many of my works have so much of myself in them, that the “self” part seems inevitable. (And John Borsheim often joked that my stone carving “Lips” was a self-portrait. She is a sculpture of a big mouth.)

But also, I have spent the majority of my waking life looking outwards, watching the world around me and processing what I see, that I often believe that who I am is what is inside my head. But of course, we are all more complicated than even that.

Allora, I started this self-portrait on Christmas Day. She is an oil painting and measures 35 x 25 cm (about 13.5 x 10 inches). I wanted to try to paint in a looser style than I normally do, getting less tight as the image moves away from the face. I hope you enjoy the look. And if you really like her, please enjoy free shipping worldwide from Italy.


I am sharing this artwork with you as part of my artist anniversary celebration this month. I am discovering how interesting portrait drawing can be and am offering to create a portrait for you of any loved one from your photos (or you can sit for me if you are in Florence, Italy).

Contact me for details (just respond to this blog or visit my site).

You may choose:
Half life-size or smaller in pencil: $300 per head/person
Life-size (approx.) in charcoal: $500 per head/person
Life-size oil painting – monochromatic (sepia): $700 per head/person
If you prefer color, a life-size pastel drawing: $600 per head/person, life-size
Plus, FREE SHIPPING from Florence, Italy.

Please let me know if this is a gift or if you are having another deadline (such as an anniversary party or wedding) so that I can make sure you receive your original art on time. And of course, if you were here in Florence, Italy, I would love to make a drawing of you from life.

Thank you for your continued interest and support. Happy Inauguration Day, America.

Light Emerging from Darkness

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Today’s images show you a portrait drawing I created on 22 October 2008 of a male model named Michael. He was a new model for my Open Studio here in Florence, Italy – an American hoping to fund his trip abroad – and was not sure he could pose nude for two hours. However, he held beautifully a standing pose not unlike Rodin’s “Balzac” sculpture.

It was a nice symmetrical pose with this active twist to the neck and many artists drew it well. I, however, had my black paper in hand and was anxious to try out my first white chalk on black paper drawing. So here he is. The original drawing “Michael” is pictured here on the small table I have in my room to work.

You can see that I have on the table some charcoal drawing materials, as well as a few paint supplies in this tiny space. Some days I get fixated on one project and other days, I change throughout the day. That decision is made based on what is going on with any given artwork. And also what mood I am in. For example, if I am refining details (vs. making design decisions), I may find the task meditative or simply dull. One feeling allows me to continue, while the latter entices me to reward myself after a time by working on another project.

I am including here a particolare (Italian for ‘detail image’) of my portrait drawing of Michael. While people seem interested to know that I only had two hours with this model, it takes years of training to draw something as complicated as a face in such a short period of time. I have been trying to push myself to make every mark count – a type of minimalism or better -- efficiency -- that I believe lends more of an awe-appeal to art.

And I was interested in including some of the light on the neck and collarbone as compositional devices, as well as to imply a gesture for the whole figure. I hope you enjoy this artwork.

“Sketch of Michael 2008”
original portrait drawing
by Kelly Borsheim
black textured Mi-Teintes paper
with white pastels
16 x 12 inches
$90 + $20 shipping (anywhere)

And do not forget my Portrait Sale this month to celebrate my eight years of creating art full-time. Let me work from your photos or from life! Contact me for details (just respond to this blog or visit my site).

You may choose:
Half life-size or smaller in pencil: $300 per head/person
Life-size (approx.) in charcoal: $500 per head/person
Life-size oil painting – monochromatic (sepia): $700 per head/person
If you prefer color, a life-size pastel drawing: $600 per head/person, life-size
Plus, FREE SHIPPING from Florence, Italy.

Please let me know if this is a gift or if you are having another deadline (such as an anniversary party or wedding) so that I can make sure you receive your original art on time. And of course, if you are here in Florence, Italy, I would love to make a drawing of you from life.

Thank you for your continued interest and support.

White on Black Portrait Art

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

In keeping with this month’s anniversary celebration and my sale on portraits, I wanted to share with you this portrait drawing I created back in November from a live model.

I have been using charcoal drawings to learn more about subtlety in tones. Anyone who knows me knows that expressing subtlety is a challenge for me. I did many drawings with only charcoal on paper. In recent months I began to draw on a non-white paper and then add white pastel to push up the contrast of my images a bit.

This naturally led to my trying to create subtle changes in tone with only the white pastel on the paper, because if the white pastel and the black charcoal mix, one gets mud -- or a bluish white. Normally, I hate the tool called “the stomp,” but when I want to push my Rembrandt pastel into the paper I am using, nothing beats the stomp. A stomp is basically a very tightly rolled paper about the size of a short pencil that has both ends sharpened to a point. I also use this tool, plus various erasers to create a variety of whites.


In this portrait drawing of my friend and fellow artist Dana, I used only white pastels on a black Canson Mi-Teintes paper they label as “Luxurious paper with subtle texture.”
If I literally only drew what I considered to be the lights, the face would appear to float in all of this black, perhaps a bit like the Phantom of the Opera. And Dana has dark hair. So I chose to imply some hair and a neck.

This look is certainly different from others I have tried, but I am loving the exploration and what I am learning about form from these types of portrait drawings. I hope you find this portrait “Dana” of interest. She is available, too. How about that?

“Dana 2008”
original portrait drawing
by Kelly Borsheim
black textured Mi-Teintes paper
with white pastels
16 x 12 inches
$150 + $20 shipping (anywhere)

Portrait Drawing

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Although I have not seen his work in a long time, for years I have been an admirer of Texas-based painter Ray Donley’s dramatic and contrasty figures. Recently I have been improving small details on a portrait drawing I created in December of a beautiful Sicilian woman that I know. She is actually one of my madonnari (street painting) colleagues here in Florence, Italy.

While working the edges of the white pastel on a black textured paper, I wondered if Ray had influenced this series of white-on-black portraits that I have been doing off and on these last few months. I thought I was simply pushing the limits of tone with this new material for me, but perhaps there are many parts to my subconscious thoughts.

Anyway, “Jessica” is a portrait drawing that measures approximately 16 x 12 inches. When my friend painter Tish Lowe saw my drawing, she commented how the texture of the paper that I left showing through on the hand and arm resembled fish net stockings. It seemed to go well with this somewhat 1960s looking portrait, as others have observed.

If you would like to add “Jessica” to your art collection or give her as a gift, please click on the PayPal button here or contact me.

“Jessica”
original portrait drawing
by Kelly Borsheim
black textured Mi-Teintes paper
with white pastels
16 x 12 inches
$150 + $20 shipping (anywhere)

Portrait Drawings

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Buon Anno! or as my friend Elena texted me “Tanti tanti auguri per uno strepitoso anno nuovo!” or “I wish you many, many best wishes for a resounding New Year!”

Last March 24th, I read in nymag.com an article by James Panero titled “An Old Master in Ruins - Why is an El Greco worth less than a Koons? Gallerist Larry Salander called it a moral travesty, and decided, catastrophically, to do something about it.”

I liked the quote:

New York art dealer Larry Salander said, “Art is the human attempt to make one plus one equal more than two.”

Since this January marks my eighth anniversary as a full-time artist, I wanted to do something special. As many of my blog followers know, I have been working in Florence, Italy, and learning more about creating abstract shapes while designing 2-dimensional art. I have also been making portraits of many of my friends here in Italy to continue to put these techniques to work.

Allora, for this month, I would like to offer to create a portrait for you of a loved one (alive or gone) and ship it anywhere in the world from Italy for free. Portrait prices are below and based on the medium and size you desire. And you do not even need to leave your home.

I often work via e-mail correspondence -- sending images along the way for client feedback. So if you would like to send me an image of the person(s) you want to have a portrait of, please contact me via my e-mail address: sculptor@borsheimarts.com.

When I work from photos, I prefer no flash. Directional lighting is more flattering and dimensional. More than one photo is helpful to let me see something more of the personality. I also need a signed and dated release from the photographer to allow me to use the image to create a drawing (copyright stays with the photographer, I only need a one-time release/permission to use the image).

You may choose:
Half life-size or smaller in pencil: $300 per head/person
Life-size (approx.) in charcoal: $500 per head/person
Life-size oil painting – monochromatic (sepia): $700 per head/person
If you prefer color, a life-size pastel drawing: $600 per head/person, life-size
Plus, FREE SHIPPING from Florence, Italy.

Please let me know if this is a gift or if you are having another deadline (such as an anniversary party or wedding) so that I can make sure you receive your original art on time. And of course, if you are here in Florence, Italy, I would love to make a drawing of you from life.

Thank you for your continued interest and support.

Portrait of a Banker - Donatello

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

The sculpture that always makes me stop and admire him in Florence’s Bargello Museum is “Niccolò da Uzzano” by Donatello. This portrait is a painted terra-cotta sculpture and he is simply arresting. He is regal in pose and execution. Niccolò was the banker of the Medici family, made famous during the time of the Renaissance for their incredible support of artists.

When I got the opportunity to create a charcoal drawing of a white gesso (plaster) copy of this artwork, I jumped at it. I referred to my drawing in an earlier blog entry before I left for Texas this summer, and am so happy that after returning to Italy, I can say he is finished and available for your viewing pleasure.

The type of drawing I am currently doing here in Florence, Italy, is very detailed and time-consuming. I have been working for many months on ‘Niccolò’, spending an average of twelve hours a week on him. I am using the sight-size method of drawing, which means that I am pacing the floor a lot as I view the work from about 3 meters away before advancing to make a mark on the paper.

This drawing is actually done on a light grey Roma-brand paper. I use Nitram charcoals for my darks and white Rembrandt pastels for anything lighter than the paper itself. The idea is that the white and the black will never need to mix. This makes for a more difficult tonal study since I cannot just smudge my tones around.

“Donatello's Portrait of Niccolò da Uzzano” is just over 64 x 46 cm. He is available for only $2600 (US). And I would be happy to ship him anywhere in the world for you. Simply contact me with a shipping address and I can get you a quote for everything.

Thank you for your interest in my work and thank you for telling others about it. And if you know any bankers who might like this original drawing for their offices . . .

Click here to see other original drawings in charcoal.

Baglioni Hotel Florence Italy

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

La mia zia (my aunt) Carole just left Florence, Italy, for Venice this morning. She is traveling around Italy with a group, getting a taste of life here. Unfortunately, she was only here in Florence for two days and we were only able to spend dinner time together. It was so generous of her to treat me to some great meals.

She stayed at the Astoria Hotel, which looked lovely to me. We ate there on Sunday night. The next night, Aunt Carole had invited my friend Skye and me to join a few of her friends for la cena. We ate dinner in the elegant restaurant on top of the Baglioni Hotel and later took a short walk up to the rooftop terraza for a brisk night view of Florence.

The fotos I include here are from the Baglioni Hotel. Both are near the train station (Santa Maria Novella). My stuffed pear (thin flaky) pasta with gorgonzola cheese and . . . rosemarino (I think it was rosemary anyway) was delicious, although the one of my plate looked a lot like a sea turtle to me!

Thank you Aunt Carole – from both Skye and me.


Tonight, I finished my portrait drawing of Skye. I am playing with materials, trying to see what kind of range of tone I can get and to what effect. This portrait of my charming Australian friend was done with white pastel on black paper. After looking at my snapshot tonight, I think I will reduce the brightness of the strands of hair in the lower right corner before I spray fixative over this art to protect her.

This portrait is available. Please contact me via this blog, my site, or e-mail if interested. Skye has a beautiful face and a rather distinctive profile, not to mention a dramatic personality, which I tried to play up in this black and white portrait drawing.

Portraits of an Artist

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Lots of my artist friends and I get together on Monday and Tuesday evenings and sit for one another to make portrait studies. It was recently my turn to pose. Because of my spine injury many years ago, I chose to stand. Sitting makes my legs go numb. I must say that I prefer to be the artist and not the model.

My friend Skye Campbell took this photo of me during the pose the first day. All in all, I posed for 8 hours over several days.

Posted here, with permission, are sketches done from these sessions. I will post more as I get images and permissions. These first two are: Pencil Drawing by Skye MacArthur Campbell and I believe a charcoal by Ami Badami. Enjoy.

Michelangelo The Delphic Sibyl

Cari Amici (Dear Friends),

Because other madonnari (street painting artists) are on holiday now, I was able to buy two days in the same spot for making my drawing the last week in September – a Friday and a Saturday here in Florence, Italy. I have not drawn on such active days, people-wise, before, so this was a treat.

I chose to paint Michelangelo’s Delphic Sibyl from the “Cappella Sistina” in Vatican City, Italy. Not being much of a morning person, I started around noon and got a decent start on the portrait drawing. I scratched into the street layers of pastel colors and I am trying to learn to do it in interesting and creative ways. Later, I blended everything with my hands (now raw and very dry: missing my fingerprints even).

Here you see that I am drawing with Carmen and her little brother Vincent: Americans who now live in Korea. Their parents took this image.


An interesting thing happened that evening – well a horrible thing for me. Somehow after this night shot was taken, I managed to use my last 30 minutes of working to make the face of the sibyl masculine! Mamma mia! It was horrible. I could see the problem when I photographed it, but in person the street painting did not look so bad. Still . . . the photographs would be all that would remain. Ugh!


Many years ago, I did a quick life sketch in paint of a rather boyish looking woman, Eugenia. One of my collectors said, “I love this painting, but can you make me another in which the face is the same, only as a feminine-looking boy?” Whoa! What an interesting proposal! Well, I began to study more images of people to determine what made a masculine vs. a feminine face. This task was more difficult than it sounds. Per esempio, one normally thinks of a tapered jawline as being a feminine trait, yet I saw many faces of young men with tapered jaws who looked more masculine than feminine, despite their youth. Allora, what to do?

Anyway, I finished my commission (“Eugene”) to the satisfaction of my collector and yes, the original painting is still available ;-)), but on this night in Florence, I was frustrated that I could not pin down my error. I later studied my photos and was able to grasp better how (and when/why) my circular face became more angular and masculine. Thank goodness the street cleaner passed over this the next morning, so I could attempt to mend my artistic ways.

Portrait Drawing-Florence Italy

Cari Amici,

This is my charcoal portrait drawing of my friend Inga. I actually drew her back in February, but I do not think that I shared this with you. She is a good model with an interesting look. I find this three-quarter view difficult and often choose to have this view so that I may improve my work.

Drawing Portrait of Anthony

As I may have mentioned before, I feel weak in the area of portraiture and want to improve this. Several of my artists friends and I model for each other to help us in our drawing of faces. Anthony (pronounced “Ant – ton- ee”) was the latest sitter. Here you will see my finished drawing in charcoal, as well as steps in the process.



It should be apparent that after my initial drawing on the Roma paper, my shapes are wrong. I try to correct them in the outline stage because it is much easier to move a line than an area of tone. But once I have my tonal drawing, my errors become more evident.
In this case, I felt that I had a decent likeness in line, but once I filled in the shapes with carboncino, I lost something. But redrawing is an intellectual pleasure!

I hope you enjoy this portrait. This one took me about 6 hours to accomplish, for those interested in such things. Of course, this does not take into account how much training I have been doing to be able to create a drawing! One foot in front of the other . . .

Pencil Portrait Drawing

This is the sketch of my friend Christina that I did in January. This drawing was originally intended to be a portrait only, but I enjoyed the energia in the lines of the figure and clothing. I actually sat on the floor and looked up at the model to make this portrait in pencil. I wish that I had had more time to explore the textures of fabric, but then I might lose the loose quality that I enjoy so much here . . .
See what you think.

Despite the quality of the photograph, this is a pencil sketch done on a white Arches paper.