Writing/Essay/Journal
Luke Hillestad says he likes to use live models so that he can enter into conversation with them. He wants his paintings to tell not only the story he had in mind, but also the model’s story. He uses what he calls extra realism, as opposed to photo realism, trying to reveal the spirit, not just the likeness, of the person he paints.

Write about a person, real or fictional. First, write a SNAPSHOT by describing what you see at a first glance. Then, write a THOUGHTSHOT by adding what they might be thinking.

Activity
Paint a portrait of the person you wrote about. Try to use one of Luke Hillestad’s painting techniques by dividing your paper into eighths with small marks at the top. Draw your person with emphasis (light or color) at the three-eighths and the five-eighths marks. You might want to check out some of Rembrandt’s paintings to see if you can get help from his example.