Good morning,
A lot of thanks for your declarations, Marvin. I think I understood it. A single point where I am not sure is this comment about "glowing". Sure, I understand about the translucency of oil. More layers, more color. But, if I see two pictures (in museum, no photos), first done alla prima (e.g., a landscape), second done with glazing, they have an obvious difference. The glazed color see somehow deeper, more lustrous and more reflective, and this remains for up to 400 years. My explanation (only for me, of course) is that the thin films of glazing have an additional quality, which leads to strengthening its translucency effect or ability. It's maybe a "side-effect". I'm afraid one can't photograph it. Like diamonds, it looks better on the finger, than in the photograph (isn't it so, ladies?).
Please, forgive me, Karin, I manipulated (a little bit) your living picture of Whitney Niels, by 3D software, to show what I had in mind.
She has made it like this (in cross-section). On the left side is a scumbled chin with highlight, more opaque color in the mixture (and thicker), like a mirror for the light. On the right side, at the jaw and neck shadow field, the rays of light reach the underpainting (therefore you can see the underpainting) broken and streaked by thin films of glaze. Maybe this little trip of light INTO the picture makes this field warm and lustrous, satin-like and gives the whole picture more 3D plasticity.
I hope the picture is legible enough (in its compressed and limited size). Again, all that is here, is as I imagine it in me.
By the way, I found an other way of underpainting on Net. It is from A. Antonov at
www.artpapa.com. (I can't remember whether he wrote here anything). He makes more still lifes than portraits, but I think his way is more complex (7 layer) and time consuming than the one from Karin Wells.
Honestly, not completely understood, but one must see her brass, copper and ivory (piano keys). Without glazing, it is very difficult to reach this realistic level.
(Never say never. For example, I didn't like pastel particularly, until I saw what a disciplined artist like Hanna Larsson (a beautiful lady from Sweden) can do with this medium. Or Paul W. McCormack with watercolor.)
Sorry for my funny ideas and comments, but I find it interesting. More sense, more ability.
Respectfully,
Leslie
P.S. Thank you Chris, again. At the end, either my English becomes better or my paintings (or both ... or neither.
)