Ilaria,

I just LOVE that baby. The quality of the paint is as fresh as he is.

Ah! speeding up.To the swiftest goes the race. There is a paragraph about that in a wonderful book of portraiture that I have, called "2000 Years of Portraits". The book is out of print but it a good overview of portraiture through the millenniums. The author was pondering the fate of this subject in the 20th century. He remarked that to sitters in the past , it was almost entertainment as they had less distractions. They knew who the best portraitists were and were quite willing to sit. There were many of course that had time restraints, Washington was bored out of his gourd. He said that at the present, unfortunately, many of the prizes and commissions do go those who are the swifter painters, not the best ones. Sargent would do the heads over a dozen times or more until he nailed it. Who would dare to do that today.

It is very difficult indeed to obtain cooperation.
The sittings are disturbed, crammed between other appointments. It's the first question I get from terrified clients: will I have to sit ? What's so bad about it?
Also mothers keep asking if the child can pose in front of the TV. I found that children have a very good ability to sit still if not on the first time then in a future sitting.

My painting speed though can be improved not by hurrying, but considering the time spent on useless corrections, the ones that take away from the painting rather than adding, and that you end up regretting having ultimately overworked. I am trying to work on this.

Anyway thanks for commenting Sharon, I am looking forward to see some more work from you
Ilaria

Ilaria, this is a terrific painting, and I love the freshness of those high-key colors, perfect for a small child. Your direct and honest nature is reflected in your work and it is always a treat to see.

I read your posts here with great interest because the concept of speed in direct painting has become one of my own issues in working from life. It is MUCH different to work from a hired model than it is for a real-life client (especially children), The other problem of course is an expectation by many clients that a painting should or will look like a photograph.

Lately I've been studying painters like Laszlo who really capture portrait subjects in real-life time.

I do so admire what you are doing here, Ilaria!

Ilaria,

This is simply fabulous...a jewel. Even though it was painted to satisfy the impatience of the client, I'd be loath to let it go out of the studio too.

Much to learn from here--thanks for posting it.

Best--TE

Linda, I try and share ideas and thoughts that come up while painting. I am also lucky enough to be tutored by very good artists which often come up with profound critique and challenging tasks.

Thank you very much Tom, I really appreciate your compliments
Ilaria