Robert Hartshorn Portraits & Fine Art

03/04/2026

Step 2 of 4. Portrait of Fred using a Raeburn palette and impasto gel medium for texture. Next: glazing, softening and scraping

02/26/2026

So far...portrait of sculptor Fred Gearhart. Sketched in pastel during 78th Street Studios at Facing Forward Gallery. Oil sketch at Hartshorn Studios using sight size (big fan) and a hand mirror. 12x16 canvas panel. I'll let it dry, make some corrections and work toward a finish using a Raeburn palette.

02/23/2026

Self portrait, live in the mirror 3 hours. oil on 12x16 canvas board. Experimenting with other artists pallets and techniques as I force myself to loosen up without sacrificing accuracy. Painful! Exhilarating! So I know it's working!

02/13/2026

Inspired by this portrait by my ancestor Eastman Johnson who painted Grover Cleveland, now in the National Portrait Gallery.....a loose and living study that comes alive with structural brush strokes. Look closely....It's a step by step tutorial, and I'll put it to good use tonight with the PCPA live model session

02/10/2026

I'm an artist ...not a joiner. But one of my favorite landscapes is about to be bulldozed, The Shaker Lakes Park System. Only an informed and active public can save it. Please sign the attached petition! Thank you!
https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-destruction-save-the-lakes?recruiter=1402464537&recruited_by_id=b624b060-0689-11f1-8a12-8709662f3dcf&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf&utm_medium=facebook&utm_content=fht-490815868-en-us%3A8&fbclid=IwVERDUAP4HVtleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR5pY9FtmnvwCzhWM1nWBniF-e1ridTJ0wr8Quok8ia_F275W7OaRkzG4WpyYA_aem_iVAA8B6ma-BnYdXN1yvbTw

STOP THE DESTRUCTION. SAVE THE LAKES.

11/10/2025

A great night of big art and friends of art at the CAN fundraiser. Thank you Michael Gill and crew!

11/08/2025

Loving Friday nights with the Pretentious Cleveland Portrait Artists ...live in 3 hours. But it's time for me to choose more frontal poses...

10/29/2025

The tragedy of my studio. Multi-tasking doesn't work.

10/27/2025

Going and showing! This Thursday...the night before Halloween. See you there in costume...

10/27/2025

Taking chances loosening up with 2 hour oil sketches from life...Using the Soloman Joseph Soloman method of blocking out shapes against a complex background. Thanks to the Pretentious Cleveland Portrait Artists Friday night sessions

10/20/2025

Practicing the quick oil sketch from stills. Elizabeth. 2 hours. For the Pretentious Cleveland Portrait Artists