Anna Claire
 

Anna Claire, 20" x 16", oil on linen. Just delivered this morning.

Pretty Baby!
 

Very Nice!

Beautiful!

Quit your day job!

Oooh Mike, she's precious. So soft, beautiful job. I'll bet they loved it.

Jean

Mike,

This is quite good. The light striking the face is very believable and although I don't like teeth in a portrait, you've managed to do it in a professional way: played down, not greeting card like. The edges of her dress and hair are also nicely handled. I like the unfinished look with the ground visible below. The clients must have been very pleased.

I look forward to seeing the large portrait of Morgan.

Thanks everyone for your kind reponses. I was so charged after reading your responses that I am anxious to get back to work.

The painting was very well received from the client. It is so gratifying as an artist to be able to use a little "creativity" in a commissioned piece.This partricular type of lighting is something I have wanted to try for some time now.

Scott - I started the painting of Morgan last week. This painting is very challenging for me considering that it is an outdoor piece. I think I'll post it in the critiques section before it's complete to get some much needed guidance here.

Beautiful Mike!

Mike,

I somehow missed this beautiful portrait. Your handling of the dress is very effective as are all the many choices you made.

This work has a wonderful flow, a great sense of light and beautify rendered!

Armin

Mike & Armin:

Thank you both for your generous response. I wasn't sure initially how such strong lighting would work on such a young face but the painting has been well received. This painting has opened several doors of opportunity of which I am most thankful.

I still need that Mike McCarty course on "Photographing Your Paintings Without Glare.":sunnysmil

Photographing your painting

Mike,

I think you have confused me with Chris Saper and Karen Wells. We are easily distinguishable, they have all the talent in the world, and I'm the one filling the paper cups with punch.

At the above link you will see a couple of threads, lead mostly by the above ladies, which discuss in some detail how to photograph your paintings.

This is one of the most frustrating aspects of our job. I have settled on one of two ways. First, I try and photograph my painting much the way I do my subject, in natural light indoors, using all the bracketing and common sense tools that I can muster. If this doesn't work I take the painting to a photo lab in town and have them make slides and prints using a studio light set up.

I sometimes have to smile at the talk about - one can only get the correct flesh tones by painting from life or by moonlight or whatever. Having done all that, we then mount this horrific assault on these perfectly rendered tones with a combination of il-suited film, poorly trained lab techs, lousy scanners, low viscosity monitors, non polarized sunglasses and on and on.

Love it, Mike!

Mike:
Speaking portrait!

Mike, this makes me wish my girls were toddlers again! And that is giving you a HUGE compliment! :)

:thumbsup:

Wow!!! Superb.

Hi Mike,

I'm another one who missed this beauty when you first posted it. Well done! I love the softness.

Thanks to you all for your kind and encouraging remarks.

Beth - Not encouraging enough that I would want my 16 & 17 year olds to become toddler's again!
Hopefully, I'm on the down-hill stretch.

Thanks Again!