Janni
 

Hi,
I had some spare time this Christmas and managed to finish this portrait of my daughte,r Janni.

I plan to paint a tripple portrait with her and her kids so I made this one for practice and for my self to keep. :santa:

Oil on linen, 65 x 55 cm

Allan,

Magnificent! I love it! What a treat to see another daughter. Do you have any more daughters?

Her expression is so eloquent. As usual, your portrayal goes way beyond the purely visual experience. I also like the way you have placed her in the composition, and your masterful brush strokes and handling of thick paint (which I envy). The repetition of colors and shapes--the eyes, the beads, and the background squiggles--is playful but it works on a serious level, too. And the harmony of colors seems to echo Janni's personality as you have shown it in the portrait. What a great Christmas gift to yourself! Now I can't wait to see the family portrait.

Thank you Alex,
no, I don't think I have any more daughters but the two that I try to vary. It would have been nice, though, to have a bunch to sit for me.

I am glad that you like the composition, it was a bit more difficult than I had thought because of the large "empty" background area. But, as you say, it complements her personality by by adding some playfulness and that was also why I settled on the design. It was not planned but just happened at a late state.

Allan!

What a fine piece of work this is! As usual you show confidence in your handling and brushwork. You have managed to bring a very traditional pose and format for a portrait into the realm of the contemporary and "present day".
I like her expression very much, so natural, with the usual tension of a sitter but at the same time she is very relaxed with the painter.

Very fine work!

Allan--

Beautiful natural color, and a wonderful realization of character. A lovely painting!

Allan,

This is a marvelous painting, - loaded with personality, and such a lucius surface! And, of course, beautiful girl:)

Thanks for sharing.

Carlos,Tom and Chris,
thank you for your kind approvals :)

This was meant to be a study before I undertake the more complicated family portrait.

I like the simple composition based on vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines.
The light is from a large north facing window in my kitchen plus some fill light from a window in the opposite wall.

Allan,

Simply beautiful. The painting and the subject.

David

Allan, such a joyful work !
I like very much the integration between figure and background, which is so difficult to achieve. Everything is very convincing here, a truly solid work !
A perfect benchmark for works in the next twelve months.
Happy New Year

Thank you, David and Ilaria,

Now I know what inspired me for the background; Firecrackers.....Happy New Year to all ;)