Woman Holding Hat
 

This is a painting from earlier last year. It is oil on canvas and 30" x 24". It is done from life - no photos - but I did make up a bit of it from my imagination.

Whoa! I really like this Thomasin. It has impact and immediacy, and it's pretty hard to look away!

Thank-you, Chris. It was one the first looser works I did after being very tight and lacking in confidence for ages. It was a bit of a breakthrough for me.

I can see how a painting like this would certainly build your confidence Thomasin, it's beautifully done. :thumbsup:

Thank-you very much, Dan. It's kind of you to say so.

Thomasin, I had admired this strong painting on your website and I am happy to see it here too. I find it a striking image that shows you are just not afraid of going for it.
A powerful work
Ilaria

Thomasin, I am so curious to know what you mean about being very tight? I am asking because I am finding myself to go the opposite way. I look at my earlier work, which I thought to be very "Sargently" painted :D , mostly watercolors but as I discovered the lack of solidity in them my confidence went down the drain. I cant help looking at your paintings in two ways. First I see the face and the eyes looking at me and that is fascinating, but then I squint down and look for the complete solidity. Thomasin, don't get me wrong this is not meant as a critique, I am not qualified to do so, anyway. I am rather questioning my way of viewing your work.

Ilaria - thank-you very much for your always welcome comments and compliments!

Grethe - Thanks for your comments too. I do appreciate your critical comments, even though you said you weren't giving me a crit. All honest responses to my work are appreciated and of course you are qualified to give a crit, so feel free! You are right about the face being more solid than the rest. It is. I worked on it more than the rest. The rest of the work is there in relation, and in subservience, to the face. The body and surrounds are not as solid, but at this point it did not matter to me. I was trying to get a flesh-likeness and a feeling of character and once I had that I stopped.

The paintings I did prior to this I constantly had an imaginary audience/client

Thank you, Thomasin it is very interesting to hear your thoughts.

Thomasin,
If you were going for a "real sense of flesh and character", I must say you succeeded immensely. I