[Chris Saper]

Hi Rick,

I'm glad I scrolled down to see Garth's second post. I looked at your image thinking "WHAT Velasquez?!"

I very much like the feel and gesture of your model. The only observations I have are regarding color. I think that the skin tones are equally warm in temperature in both shadow and light, and that some temperature relief in the shadowed areas would support a more comfortable feel about the lighting of your subject.

The other comments have to do with the background. The yellow violet color scheme doesn't, I think, integrate with the colors in the subject. The circular brush strokes are a bit distracting to me, as they have the appearance of being painted around the subject, rather than representing a background that moves behind her. This however, may certainly be a style preference on your part.

It's a pleasure to have you on the Forum!