Cherub
 

Hi,
this is a 24" X 36" oil.
It's not finished yet, I want to work more on the sky, and a bit on the fabric, but the shapes and values are here.
I want to finish it this week, so if you have something to to tell me, it's time.

The contrasts look too hard on my screen. The painting is more subtle in the dark parts.

I think this one looks better.

Marina,

Right now I am in awe. This is no cute baby portrait, even though the baby is adorable. This is a figurative piece that says something much more, I'm not sure what, but does the viewer have to be sure WHAT a work of art says, exactly? I would venture to say you are getting ready to move figurative art in a new direction.

The baby is really cute and normally I hate cute baby pictures but........

the most impelling component for me is the impending doom in the clouds, its beautiful and hard hitting.

Just my take on it though :)

Marina, wow! I love this painting! Your choice of placement for the baby is terrific. (When I saw the title of the thread I expected a wing-sporting baby.)

Really nice treatment of light, the satin is beautiful, the clouds convincing.

Your flesh tones are very nice. There's one thing, though - I would take a look at the baby's chin area. Just below and to the side of his mouth, the color is very warm and saturated. I think if you grey that area down just a tad, you'll see more convincing flesh tones.

Thanks Alex !
I knew you were going to say something interresting ang intelligent!
I had this piece in mind for a long time ( years!), but I had to wait because I wanted to control everything, and I didn't have all the skills to do it. I needed 5 photo sessions to obtain the pose, and the light I wanted, struggled with composition and colors, repainted the clouds several times...
Well, all the technical things were difficult but under control. The only thing I have no doubt is the concept. As you said it's not a cute baby portrait, even not really a portrait.
It's difficult for me to explain in french, so in english... I considere that children and babies are interresting beings with a rich interior life. I have a hundred more ideas in this direction...I would like to paint faster!

Hi Carolyn,
I laughed when I read that you hate cute baby pictures! I like cute baby picture, as long as they are photos in the family album!
In the beginning, there was some blue sky between the clouds, but finally I changed that.
Looks like an irish sky, now, isn't it?

Hi Cindy,
I wanted to keep things very simple, and didn't want to have superfuous elements like for exemple wings... I though that I could say what I wanted with those 3 elements: sky, baby and fabric...There was already so much possibilities...
Thanks for your comment, and you're right for the chin, I will correct that.

Marina, I love the skin tones. Nicely done! I have a baby commission coming up and am scared as hell, since I have never painted a baby before. I have a feeling I will be looking at your baby more often! ;)

Marina,
this is some baby !
I am not sure about the clouds, I feel that they are a bit massive. I would make them more diffuse, airy so that the contrast to the silky blue becomes higher.

This is really interesting as a figurative piece! The size of the baby compared to the rest makes it fascinating. I love the darker clouds. I love the hands and expression. Like Alex, I dont know what it is saying - but it matters not since everyone will read something into it. The only thing I am just the slightest hesitant about is the fabric. It is painted well, but just reminds me of something you would see in a portrait photography studio. Regardless - great job!