22 x 15”
Saunders Waterford 200# Cold Press
Sometimes, paintings are hard. I push something too far, say too much, and fall out of love. This portrait waited over a year and a half stuck only partially done. I had stopped at a point where I no longer liked it. For me, the mystery was lost.
The universe had other plans, though. I painted and painted for all the myriad shows whose deadlines fall in mid-winter, but I ended up one short for the Red River competition. And there it was, reasonably close to being complete and powerful in it’s own way, just not the painting I had intended to paint. I put it up on the easel, started painting bold, dark shadows to fill out the left side of her face and fell in love again. Mystery doesn’t play as much a part as I originally wanted, but it’s there. And I love her strength.
