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Tim
I guess it could be argued, that if a client looks at your work and consciously chooses you to paint her picture, then it should be obvious to her that she is choosing your perception of her, with your sense of aesthetics, influenced by your background, to project her personality. So, I think you have every right to portray a such a client in your way. Furthermore, if you are painting in the Classical Western Realistic style, then the rules of that style should obviously apply.
Nevertheless, I've seen paintings by Western artists who after having immersed themselves for some time in a different culture produced works that captured the atmosphere and essence of that culture, in a way that is very convincing even to the people of that culture. I'm referring, in particular, to the many British artists who painted Indian subject matter in the days of British rule. My feeling, as someone who has come to the West from a hybrid culture, is that our biases are really not as strong as we imagine. I feel that after a while of being immersed in a different culture, we gradually begin to see things through the spectacles of that culture.
It's something like the drawing of a vase that can also be interpreted as the profile of two people arguing. After staring long enough, you suddenly begin to see the other picture.
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