Sisters and a dog
 

Just finished this one and delivered last Sunday. It's 42" x 32" oil on canvas.

Very nice Cindy. I'm sure your clients love this! I like how the sisters are so different; their clothing, hair and posture have much to say about their personalities. Their hands are beautiful. I like the texture of the dog fur too.

Thanks Debra. I'm glad their differences came through - I went shopping with the mother for their outfits, hoping to reflect their personalities a bit in what they wear. (I hate shopping, and so does their mother! It was quite a chore finding something that worked that was harmonious, and that we thought the girls would actually deign to put on...)

Cindy,

This is a beautiful painting! Would you post some close-ups when you get a chance?

Brava:)

Cindy, great job!

I like the informality of their expression and dress against the geometry of the stairway and paneling. Great sense of LIFE, too.

Thank you so much for your nice comments. The geometric forms of the stairway were a big concern, as well as the moulding on the wall. I had to move the moulding so that it didn't chop anyone's head off visually, and where I couldn't move it, try to soften it so that it didn't draw attention to itself.

Here's some details, Chris.

Two more - hands and Henry the dog.

Cindy,

Everything is so wonderfully conceived and carried through in this portrait. I've been back to look at it several times, and each time I see more. I love the way you've painted the girls--thanks for the closeups!-- the diagonal of the stair and moulding, and the understated simplicity of the architectural features.

What strikes me most forcibly, in its quiet way (it took me a while to see this but it is brilliant) is the black (navy)/white checkerboard you have created. From top to bottom, one sister is dark, light, dark and the other is light, dark, light. They are next to each other, so the "checkerboard" reads horizontally, too. The dark carpet and white wall divide the background into two zones, also. Cleverly, or perhaps instinctively, you massed the light dog in with the white skirt of the younger sister. The total effect is absolutely NOT spotty! I'd love to know how much of it was consciously done and how much simply worked out that way (with you sensing, of course, that it was right).

Alex, thanks so much for your detailed crit.

The checkerboard pattern was totally coincidental, actually. The older girl already had the blouse, (and the sneakers). So I knew we were going to put her in dark slacks. When we found the dress we knew it was a perfect compliment to her outfit.

I used a limited palette so as to keep color harmony - what I liked about the color scheme was it's simplicity. The dog has the same colors as the girls and their clothes.

Using Sharon's suggestion for color harmony, the greys (and the blacks) are all slightly leaning towards green. I don't think that's apparent from the photos - everything looks more blue. The accent spots of color are pink/red.

My palette was flake white, titanium white, zinc white, raw sienna, transparent oxide red, pyrollo ruby, ultramarine blue, viridian, and ivory.

Cindy, it is a lovely painting. Great to see the close-up shots, just beautiful!

Thanks, Enzie. :D

Lovely
 

Cindy,
I haven't been around for a year and to see this painting was pure pleasure - your work is so finely rendered. You seemed to have captured their personalities and I am sure the parents feel in love with it when they first layed eyes on it.

What a gratifying moment this must have been for you!

The gentleness of the transitions - just gorgeous.

Thanks so much Patty and Cynthia.

Cindy, I just spotted this - you have done such a wonderful job with modelling the forms, combining great control and specificity as well as keeping this painting feeling alive. It works well on so many levels -I also love the limited color palette and the rhymthic patterning - and wow, do I love the way you handled the fur on that dog. Big congratulations on this one!

Thanks so much, Linda. Painting Henry was fun - big broad bravura strokes abound. I put on Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, crank it up and go to it. :)

Well done!!

Cindy,

I just ran across your post - what a beauty!

I love the skin, it makes me want to reach out and touch it.

I love your work.