He is known for his large portraits based on photographs of family and friends, often other artists. Close creates a work in a calculated, systematic manner. He takes a photograph of the sitter, overlays it with a penciled grid, and then paints a vastly enlarged blowup of each square onto the canvas using airbrushes to create a photographic finish. He builds his images by applying one careful stroke after another in multi-colors or gray scale. Similar to Impressionist canvases, his compositions come into view as an observer stands farther away from them, particularly as over time he has moved from realism into more painterly, interpretive works.