Sibley loves to paint portraits of people of all races in oil on canvas. Of all of the things in the world to paint, portraits present the greatest challenge to the artist.  In the words of artist and teacher Brian Smith, "you can paint a tree with an extra branch and no one is likely to notice; paint a person with an extra eye and everyone will notice". Sibley recently completed a fabulous workshop at the Haliburton School of the Arts during which Brian Smith was the instructor.

The ideal situation for portrait painting starts with a live subject in the studio.  There is no better reference to paint from than a living breathing person sitting before you with skin tones that are illuminated.  There are times when the subject is no longer living, in which case he would work from a picture or two.  Photographs are an excellent secondary reference after the model has left for the day and the artist wishes to continue painting or in the case of a memorial painting. 

Portraits of loved ones make a wonderful gift to the family.  Compositions of entire families are available in pencil, chalk pastel and oil.

The process begins with a preliminary sketch to familiarize with the subject and observe the special characteristics about the person.  At that time a pose is chosen that will continue on through to the finished painting.

"I love the process of painting a portrait" Sibley says. It is an interactive process that involves the model and the artist.  There is a time during the painting when it all starts to come together when the artist is making a three dimensional subject into a two dimensional painting.  "It's a fulfilling experience to see how two or three values together create light and shadow".