The approach that I take in creating the original artwork for the Darren Gygi Home Collection is simple, yet interesting. My ‘technical’ training as a portrait painter began under the instruction of national portrait artist, Bill Whitaker. I attended a semester-long portrait class that he was teaching and that is where I first learned how to use oil paints. ip address info . hotel comparison Until then, I had merely dabbled with watercolors and acrylics. Below is an example of one of my earliest portraits.