Oil Portraits of Some of My Favorite Models

16" x 20" Prints Available. Please contact me here for more information or go to the Gallery and Choose M under the Authors Listing for Models.

	Tom Ferris One of my all time favorites. He has a perfect masculine face and build and is a very good actor. He always got into the role and had a special sensitivity and sincerity in the way he held and touched the girl. He was the hero for The Black Swan by Day Taylor, A Rebels Love by Joyce Verette, Spring of the Tiger by Victoria Holt, Lady Sorceress (topless) by Mary Ann Hammond and Silks and Sabers by Laura Parker who bought the original painting which I loved and still miss. - Maybe she'll sell it back to me!
	Barbara Langlois A delicate beauty and one of my very special models. She was graceful and adaptable. In this costume she played the heroine in Jean Plaidy's Prince of Darkness. She posed for the Wild Winds of Love by Veronica Jason, Drury Lane Darling by Joan Smith, Hearts of Fire by Christina Savage, The Best Way to Lose by Janet Dailey, and the sexy Captive Heart by Barbara Keller. She was wearing a huge diamond engagement ring but said she hadn't decided whether or not she'd marry him, but he said she could keep the ring either way because she deserved it. I asked her just what she'd done to "deserve" it and she replied, "I'll tell you if you promise not to tell my Daddy". A real Texas charmer.
	Alain Jarry A sophisticated Frenchman who was also a National Geographic photographer which I considered very dashing. Appeared very convincingly on many on my covers. He was very nice but had a serious demeanor, a bit world weary. Divorced at the time, he once said that he wondered if any woman would ever really love him. Looking at him, it would not seem too difficult. You'll see him as the hero on Desert Hostage by Diane Dunaway, Love's Reckless Rebel by Gina Robins (Don't you love that masculine arm and hand holding her face?), Yankee Princess (very elegant) by Maggie Osborn and Passionate Exile by Helene Osborne, Sweet Revenge by Patricia Pellicane, Bewitching Minx by Janice Laden, At Daggers Drawn by Lois Menzel, and the hero of The Tyrant by Patricia Veryan.
	Amy Miles A gorgeous Alabama real strawberry blonde. Her facial features are very fine and her hair so glorious that she posed for National hair ads - Clairol as I remember. She posed for many of my covers including Passion's Rebel by Kay Cameron, Thunder in the Wind by June Lund Shiplett, Tides of Destiny, The Redeemers by Clayton Mathews, Passionate Exile by Helene Osborne with Alain Jarry as hero, and Exclusively Yours by Joanna Scott.
	Norbert Tomas A suave Austrian with a sophisticated sense of humor. You've probably seen him in many National ads. In this, he's wearing a very nice suit but he could put on anything, from a suit of armor, which he did agreeably though it was painful, for A Snare for Catherine by Julliette Benzoni (a huge best selling series in France) to a cowboy outfit, as in Nevada Nights by Ruth Ryan Langan and immediately act like he'd worn that all his life. He also posed for My Brazen Heart by Kathleen Frazer, and A Loving Enchantment by Cynthia Sinclair.
	Roni Margolis The heroine of many of my book covers. Here she is in costume for Land of Gold. She was playing a tough red haired madam on the back cover in this pose, and is on the front cover of the book as the heroine. You'll see her on the covers of River Jewel and Pirate's Promise, both by Ann Cockcroft, Highland Flame by Kathleen Frazer, Moth and Flame by Laura Parker and Some Distant Shore by Lynn Erickson.
	Roni Margolis After a book cover shooting, I asked Roni to pose, just as herself. She is a beautiful and very nice Greek girl, as beautiful as Ava Gardner, but strangely unaware of it. She even said she didn't have a boyfriend. Unbelievable! I'm sure by now, she's found a very nice one. She deserves it.
	Andi She was one of the last models I used before leaving New York. She was new to me, so I really didn't get to know her. She had a quiet, dignified, rather reserved manner, very lady-like. Here she is in costume for Masquerade by Catherine Lyndell.
	Richard Banks A contrast to the tall, dark and handsome. He's a tall handsome blond. He came in for one of my last shootings in New York before moving and posed for Highland Tryst by Jean Canavan. The surprising thing about all these models is that they're invariably nice, friendly and down to earth. You might think that being beautiful, they might be conceited, but they're not. As a matter of fact, one of the perks on my job was to get a warm, close hug from all the handsome male models when they came in for a shooting!

	Rob French and Alicia Mann I thought the dress was so beautiful for the cover of Centennial at Jalna, that I decided to do a portrait of the bridal couple in a different setting. I put them in Callaway Gardens, a marvelous place open to the public, here in Georgia. It's a glorious sight in springtime, when the thousands of azaleas, rhododendrons, and dogwood are all in full bloom.
	Coco Chanel Although this painting was used for the hard cover book, Coco, the Novel, it actually is a portrait of Chanel, wearing her own designs, a simple wool jersey dress (she was the first to use this fabric which allows so much more freedom of movement) her own jewelry, including her enamel cuff bracelets and hair style with bow. She is seated on one of her famous caramel suede sofas with one of her favorite flower arrangements. Chanel had such courage and originality, she revolutionized the way women dressed, freeing them from corsets and heavily constructed clothing that restricted their movement. Her influence is still strongly felt in what women wear today.

I wish I'd thought of painting the models sooner because I would have done some of the other great models I've used.

For instance, Chad Burns, divinely handsome, part American Indian, always warm, friendly and good natured. He and his wife now operate a bed and breakfast in Hawaii. He was the hero, dancing regally in one of my favorite paintings, which hangs in my foyer, the inside double spread for Proud Blood by Joy Carroll. He was the dramatic flag holder on the front cover and hero on the inside double spread for Sharpe's Eagle by Bernard Cornwell. He posed for River Witch by Felicia Andrews, Swan Song by Violet Ashton, Moth and Flame by Laura Parker and many others.

Ransom Foreman (perfect hero's name) and he is a handsome Ransom! Has a wonderful aristocratic profile and is a very nice man. You'll see him on Some Distant Shore by Lynn Erickson, The Marriage Contract by Virginia Neilson, Georgina by Marion Devon, Brighton Road by Susan Carroll and Fiery Hearts by Julie Grice.

I would have loved to paint the beautiful Carole Gustafson, a sweet and vulnerable girl. Carole posed for one of my favorites, Wings of the Falcon by Barbara Michaels and all of the Catherine series by Julliette Benzoni, which had been a huge best seller in France. She was the heroine of Moon Witch by Felicia Andrews and the angelic looking blonde on Mistress of Martinique by Helene Thornton. I love her pose and facial expression on that one. She was also the redhead on Lady of Fire by Valerie Vayle.

Another favorite of mine I would have painted is P.J. Sheaffer - a perfect model. While some models just look stiff, she always posed beautifully. She was the gorgeous blonde on Iron Lace by Lorena Dureau, the barely clothed heroine of Desert Hostage by Diane Dunaway, and posed for Under the Wild Moon by Diane Carey. She was the heroine of A Rebel's Love and To Love and to Conquer , both by Joyce Verette, The Devil's Embrace by Catherine Coulter and Golden Promises by Peggy Hanchar. She was always pleasant and easy to work with.

By the way, the intriguing Fabio is the sea captain in an intimate scene for 'Till Dawn Tames the Night.

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