Painting portraits is my absolute favorite of everything I paint. Mixing colors and seeing globs of paint transform a blank canvas into a recognizable human being is thrilling, even when bad eyesight has me scrambling between cheater glasses and a magnifying glass to get everything painted in the right place. Three years olds are adorable -- that's all there is to it -- and are particularly difficult to paint because their features are so delicate and unformed that it's hard to find shadows on their faces to distinguish one area from another. This portrait was painted for a grandmother who has commissioned me to paint portraits of all of her grandchildren at the charming age of three.
Thank you to the friend who encouraged me all those years ago to pick up a paintbrush. Thank you to the friend who, when asked, offers gentle and helpful criticism. And, thank you to the grandmother who trusts me to paint her grandchildren.
This is a 16" x 20" oil on linen.
