margaret

Arches CP 300 gsm, 14" x 10".

this is a life drawing from margaret's session. i debated whether to clean up and amplify the drawing and leave it in charcoal, or to paint into it. i decided to paint it, and the result is shown below.

i also posted this to remind me that margaret had dyed her hair jet black ... a striking effect, but a little jarring against her creamy complexion.

i painted everything as flat as possible, adding a little color around the eyes and in the lips. (the colors do not come through accurately in the photograph. no matter how i photograph my paintings i cannot get a satisfactory color rendering. maybe i have a preference for colors that don't photograph well.)

i like the poised, inward, timeless quality of renaissance portraits, especially the small format profile and full face paintings from the fifteenth century. this piece doesn't come up to that standard, but it points in that direction.