Tom,

You must have worked some from life - or at least are so experienced that you make it look that way. I have 3 children with hair that blonde - or they did have hair that blonde - and no matter how you photograph them there are always very dark shadows near the scalp of the head that isnt present in life. It is hard to paint hair like that. Too light and it looks like a fake cap - too dark and it isnt true to life. Her hair is superb. As is the rest of her.

Wow, THANKS everyone. I'll post a closeup when I get back.

Best to all--TE

Lovely Tom! I am sure they were dancing when they saw this beautiful painting.

P.s. Just remember what happened to Picasso after his "Blue Period"! ;)

Well, you never know, but this time the clients didn't want to touch anything--loved it as painted.

As promised, here's a detail...

Best--TE

Thanks, Tom. It's so warm and soft. Charming!

Wow Tom, this is really nice! Thanks for the close-up.

You have a skilled way of keeping the contrasts soft and easy on the eye to view, much as we see things in life, as opposed to photography.

This makes me wonder how much you were able to capture your sitter from life? If you've been working from a photo as well, then you've done a fabulous common sense reinterpretation of the contrast ratios.

Congratulations,

Garth

Garth--

Thanks a lot. I painted this one entirely from photography, as she lives a good distance from me. I always insist on finishing from life, but in this instance the client didn't want me to touch the painting, and I didn't see anything back on site that demanded reworking (just lucky this time). The contrasts are slightly stronger even in this JPEG than in the painting, though the color is pretty true.

Though commissioned work often requires working from photography, I'm trying to overcome its limitations and have strong solidity and realism without too photographic a look. Contrast range is a big factor, true, but another element that I think isn't discussed enough in this quest is edge control. Too many sharp edges kills the naturalism, to me, so I've worked hard at developing a hierarchy of edges within my work.

Anyway, thanks so much.
--TE

Congratulations Tom,

This little girl is beautiful and you have done a great job with the color harmonies. Great to see your work!!

Denise

Absolutely beautiful Tom! You've done a wonderful job with the color harmony and the feeling of space. You chose a difficult pose and chair to paint, and your accuracy is impeccable! Bravo!

Renee

Thanks folks...always good to hear from the fellow Tar Heels!--TE