[Mike McCarty]

Hi Mary,

I think those of us who think of painting sixteen hours a day are the ones burdened by these terms like traditional vs non-traditional, figurative vs portrait.

I recently completed a painting much like the one you describe. It's true I spent no time on facial features, but I had to imagine and then paint a forest landscape. To the client I was painting people, a portrait of specific people. I never got into the subtleties of terms.

If they bring up the issue then it's every man for himself.