"RESTFUL MOMENT" 12" x 18" Pastel Private Collection

I love painting portraits. Every person has an aspect of their personality that an artist hopes to connect to and portray. This little girl has many interests and a lot of energy with which to pursue them. One Sunday morning I managed to find her in a restful moment just as she got up. You know that time between sleep and the day in full motion. She still had her sleep clothes on and held her blanket. It wasn't long, however, before she was rollin' into whatever the day held for her.

The technical aspects of portraits are a fun (mostly) challenge as well. Skin tones have such a variety of hues in them as well as temperature changes. I still struggle to see these temperature changes and transfer them to the surface. Also, funny as it sounds, the nose is a difficult thing to do...for me, anyway. It has many planes in it and the light hits each of them in different ways. And, it's pretty crucial to get right! I guess the only way to gain confidence with it is just to keep on keeping on. That's why I sincerely admire artists like Sandra Flood and Karin Jurick for their expertise in this area.