[Kimberly Dow]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I will take more traditional poses of others for my portfolio, I started with this one as my first experiment because I wanted to get her while she was pregnant and she is due very soon.

Linda,

"YeeeHaww" Can I see that nude you did of the pregnant woman? Email? I agree with the fact that I want to show the belly. That is the whole purpose of this painting for me. Her hands and face are secondary to me. Except, I like the kind of proud look she has on her face with the outside one. I guess I do not know exactly what I want. I am drawn to more ?bold looks I think. She does not necessarily want her face to be instantly recognizable. Not sure what to do about that yet. I am actually not a Texan. Im a Yankee, please keep that quiet to the people down here, they would run me out of town. The South is more conservative than the North, I think anyway. So, it definatly has to be a painting because I want to do it, and that's it.

Jeff,

Already asked her to pose nude. If she did not trust me she would not have shown this much.

Mike,

I am going to reshoot her (if the baby holds off til Friday) to try and be more subtle. I want a painting that says; "Here I am, yah, I'm pregnant, but I'm beautiful." If I can do that and be less startling with the poking out belly I will. I am using a cheap Fuji digital camera. I messed with the options so quickly because I didn't want her to get tired that I still do not know which settings worked. I can see which photos did, but I do not know which ones were taken with which settings. I need to practice on the family and figure that out.

Tim,

Thanks, I think I got the outside lighting tip now. I misunderstood reflected light. I was thinking of the pool reflecting towards her. Ok, Odd Nerdrum! How can you say that? His are dark are disturbing (to me anyway). She is soft and beautiful (to me anyway). The belly is startling in the way it does jump out at you, I agree. I cannot see the comparison except she has some extra skin showing. I am not being argumentative here, I actually want to know.

I think I may read things differently then-the-average-bear booboo because I clearly didn't foresee "Jake" being scary. If I am going to get serious I need to see paintings like most see them. It doesn't mean I wont paint the occasional 'different' one, because I truly like those better, but I need to be able to anticipate people's reactions if I am going to paint what people want for their portraits.

And yes, Michele I have been checking out the SOG painters and seeing the theme with the more classical poses. I guess I am trying to figure out where the line is drawn. When does it cross over to 'different' or 'unusual'. I know where it is for me personally, just not the general art-purchasing public.