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Thanks one and all.
I had the advantage of knowing Doris from our portrait group at the local Art Association along with the required stop for drinks afterward. Her input amounted to the clothing she wore, the size (she had a frame for it), and where it would hang.
On tip toe Doris might be 5' tall and has a perpetual upward tilt to her head. A cushion was needed and we placed her in the corner of our couch were she naturally assumed this pose which is quite in character and allowed me to depart from the typical placement of head in the center of the canvas. I had to use Photoshop to recover detail in the shadow area.
The violet, Steve, was one of several accent colors that I attempted to provide interest in the dark space. (There are some other colors that do not show on the monitor) and must confess that the decision to do so was more subjective than calculated. The violet reflection on her temple seemed to make a good connection though it looks a little too bright on my screen. (Head detail below) In the actual painting there is also a small suggestion of the sweater reflecting under the chin.
Had this work been commissioned by anyone else I would have had to involve the subject more. Not everyone would freely accept a non typical pose let alone a painting that shows all the wrinkles and arthritic hands. Aside from the usual struggles this one was a lot of fun. But it's still a lot of work to make'em look easy.
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