Thursday, October 31, 2013

A delicate balancing act



Commissions are a mixed blessing and I normally avoid them like the plague.  Inevitably, they involve a delicate balancing act between satisfying myself and pleasing the sitter.  It was therefore with trepidation that I responded to the request for a commissioned painting of the nude, with the commissioner herself being the subject.

In this case, the task was made all the more difficult as my subject could only manage one half-day session.  On the positive side, I had for my sitter a poet and student of psychology.  From past experience, I have found this combination to be an interesting one to work with.

My subject’s ecstatic response to the finished painting "wow.....I love it" went a long way towards convincing me of that I had kept my balance – even though the end result is more restrained than my usual way of working.

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