Shadow study
 

Just finished this one, pastels on Sansfix paper.
I'm not sure whether to keep her or try to sell her in our local gallery, something I'm not very familiar with doing.

Margaret, I love it! So rich looking and such a great expression!

Thank you Enzie, it was very kind of you to reply.
I thought I'd try another with a darker background

Margaret, this is beautiful. I love softness of the shadowed side, and you've really made her look three dimensional. Very nice.

Margaret - I especially like the second one because with that one you have again moved forward with your seven-league boot strides! You controlled everything so well - this time looking at the model and the drawing with more intellectual detachment but without losing your energy and passion. Wonderful.

If you feel you can't give up this drawing to a gallery just start another one and you'll soon find your affections with attach themselves to the new work, and then you can take this one (and others) to the gallery. I definitely think you should approach a gallery with your work!

Thank you so much, particularly Thomasin. for your helpful comments.
It's a greater leap than I'd expected, going from hobbyist to selling work, lots of emotions attached (I'm just lucky it's not my main source of income!)
I'm going to the Pastel Society in London in 2 weeks, can't wait; I'll be meeting so many other pastelists and hope to learn greatly from the experience.
Thank you again, I feel very much encouraged
Margaret

Margaret,

I especially like the second one because of the way you controlled the planes of the face and the transition of forehead into her hair. Also, the eyes are extraordinary. I admire the lighting in your recent pieces; the light strikes the eyes at a certain angle, enters the iris, and reflects back on the opposite side with incredible luminosity. I think your portraits would sell very well in a gallery because they speak to the viewer so powerfully. You don't have to know these people to connect with them.

Margaret,
I like the drawing in the frontal head, especially the lost and soft edges. Both paintings are strong emotional portraits with lovely color.
You should go ahead with the gallery thought.

Thank you Alexandra and Allan

You're giving me the courage to take the next step
I'd have to travel quite a distance (over sea) to a city gallery
We have a small gallery locally, so I'll try one or two pieces first and perhaps expand from there.
Thanks again
Margaret

Margaret,

I find that you have an extremely sensitive perception of colour and you know exactly how to translate what your eyes see onto your paper. Your control of the medium is masterful in the modelling of the form and in the execution of detail which I notice in these 2 pieces is a little more defined. Very nice work. You should have all the confidence in the world approaching a gallery and in meeting the other pastellists.
Good luck!

Great job! I liked the second one very, very much.

Thank you Claudemir. Carlos, I appreciate your detailed comments. Plenty to consider and to keep working on.