Eileen Slifer

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Caricatures from Nadia’s 14th Birthday Party!

Last Saturday I drew caricatures at a birthday party for a 14-year-old girl, her friends, some younger attendees and one adult with her dog! The adults present loved what I was doing and I had a lot of fun, even staying after I finished and packed up to watch the magician – a wonderful performance by a master of illusion! Almost a week later, as I add in the photos from that day, I’m trying to remember a few of...

Portrait in Purple: Innocence

Sometimes I complete portraits that are gifts, or otherwise personally inspired and non-commissioned works. This piece is one of them. Begun around 2018 or 2019 while still in Alabama, I was inspired by some old photos I saw either online, or possibly by email…old photos of my cousin, Laura, that I had never seen before. I recently learned that her oldest brother, Dennis Slifer, had taken these old black-and-white treasures…I do have them in my computer files labeled “Laura…and 1963…”...

Double Portrait in a Portrait; Continuum of Life…

This portrait was finished and delivered around last April 2021. The first anniversary of my good friend Lisa’s father’s death in February 2021 just passed. She recently sent me a photo of herself and her granddaughter, Nina, standing next to to this work that I did for her, gradually, during 2020 to 2021, along with the following comment: “These past couple of years has been so hard for me and my family with the passing of my parents. Eileen did...

Another Sunflower Mailbox Finished!

“Omgosh yaaaayy!!! I’m in love with it!!!” Those were the words tonight from my most recent Etsy “Sunflower Mailbox” customer, Krystal. It always feels good to hear this kind of excited feedback! These painted mailboxes are a bit labor-intensive (and very messy, requiring sign-painter’s oil enamel which can be challenging to work with in a number of ways – fumes, drips, stickiness, mineral spirits, dry time…) but the time and tlc required is rewarded knowing that my customer will feel...

Caricature Fun From My February Visit With My Cousin

In mid-February I got to visit my cousin Laura for a weekend – the first I had seen her and others in her family in about three years. It was a wonderful time of re-connecting and also on the agenda was attending a birthday party at her son Will’s home. My cousin had expressed some interest in learning to draw caricatures, so I had thrown my easel into my van. When I learned that there was a kid’s party, I...

Darling Little California House – Watercolor Portrait

This house portrait was commissioned by a client who had recently sold her and her husband’s first home in California and were moving back to their home state of New Jersey. Having visited California a small handful of times, I called it the “Darling Little California House” since I’m aware that houses in that west coast area can be quite cute but not as spacious as those in other parts of the country! Below is a demonstration video put together...