I’ve heard it said that the eyes are the windows of the soul. In my mind, the most important part of any portrait is its eyes. If one looks at someone’s eyes they will see reflections of light on the iris. The “whites” of the eyes are never white. The edge of the bottom eyelid is showing. There are many other things that are apparent. Lips aren’t smooth. Look closely at anyone and their lips will have ridges which have highlights and shadows. These are a couple of things I should mention about this painting.
I had this model next to a window to have natural illumination on half of her face. This was done to show shadow and light and make it more interesting. I wanted to focus on her features, so parts of her head go off the canvas.
The most powerful technique in painting this portrait was emotion. Just as a singer or a pianist put feeling into their performance, I have tried to do the same with my art. Some might argue that I could have a more realistic portrayal with a photograph, but this is art, not a photo.
I love this painting.
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