An introspective woman sits on a couch, volumes of curly hair framing her serene face with an enigmatic expression. With arms loosely crossed, she seems barely aware -and entirely unconcerned - that her wine-colored garment has slipped off from one shoulder to expose her left breast. Her long, pale legs end at crossed ankles resting lightly on the chocolate brown expanse of the floor.

With its color palette of rose, pink and green and dark brown vintage furniture, this has the feel of a scene from the 1940s-50s. The scene feels intimate, as though she's a housewife who has agreed to pose for the artist on her living room's turquoise couch but is unaccustomed to being the focus of so much attention - even the pale cream and rose flowers on the table appear to be peeking shyly up at her.

This 2010 figurative, realist oil painting uses thick paint with coarse lines to bring a gritty realism into this secretive, intimate scene.


Artist bio:

David Beynon Pena (b. 1958) was an American painter and native New Yorker who began his career painting portraits after watching Everett Raymond Kinstler demonstrate portrait painting at the National Academy. David went on to paint portraits of many distinguished leaders including U.S. Senator Howell Heflin, actor Sean Connery, dancer Gregory Hines, and Ruth Reininghaus Smith - the first woman president of the Salmagundi Club. He also painted portraits for the Hollywood films Good Will Hunting and The Preacher's Wife.

Apart from portraits, David was known for his nudes, as well as evocative cityscapes and still lifes. He also painted landscapes and seascapes alla prima in oil and watercolor in Maine at Wooster Cove on North Haven and on Leadbetter Island, where he spent summers with his wife Alison. He typically produced two or three paintings a day, always following the light in the style of John Singer Sargent. His interiors have been compared to those of Fairfield Porter, and only a handful of those paintings remain available to the public.

David painted boldly and quickly, easily capturing the venue, likenesses and mood of his surroundings. Known for being gregarious and asking questions as he worked, he occasionally encouraged a curious child to paint a few blades of grass on his paintings.

David started painting at age 11, receiving his training at the High School of Art and Design, The Pratt Institute, the Art Students League of New York and the National Academy of Design School of Fine Arts, where he eventually became an adjunct faculty member. A brilliant teacher, David was known for his ability to explain complex ideas in accessible ways, for his portrait and landscape demonstrations, and for his participation in multiple juried shows for art associations in the Tri-state area. During his lifetime, he received over 50 national and regional awards, and served as President of the Audubon Artists Incorporated, among many other distinguished art institutions.

David read art books voraciously and was a lifelong, dedicated student of his craft. When he passed away in 2016, David had almost finished an art instruction book, Painting Portraits with a Bold Brush, to be published posthumously.


Condition: Original Condition Unaltered; Some Imperfections; This painting is in excellent condition.

Dimensions:
Height: 18 in.
Width: 24 in.
Depth: 0.5 in.

Category: Paintings
Origin: United States
Materials: Oil Paint, Wood

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Original Condition Unaltered; Some Imperfections; This painting is in excellent condition.