[Garth Herrick]

Originally Posted by Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco

Garth, (.....)
I have a few questions for you on the reasons of your choices.

Dear Ilaria,

Thank you so much for your kind thoughtful words! I will address your questions which are all good ones.

What are the reasons for you to choose such an unconventional pose?

Ilaria, the mother of these two beautiful girls insisted on this unexpected image which occurred during the initial photo shoot for the portrait. While she wished the eyes were showing (they both have huge warm brown eyes), the moment of interaction was paramount to her. We jointly agreed this would be a powerful thing to capture in paint.

I find that this painting is not anymore about the girls individually but more about their relationship. The viewer becomes an amused spectator of this moment and is sucked into the delightful atmosphere, but in a sense he/she is not involved, not invited or confronted by the eyes of the models.

The relationship is the theme of this portrait. These fortunate girls were both adopted by wonderful and generous parents and so have become sisters for life.

Do you consider this a portrait or a figurative piece? Is it a commission or a piece that will be on sale?
Sorry for being so curious, I would love to paint more family groups, but always end up by having to do all the kids separately and miss out a lot of fun!
With respect and affection
Ilaria

Since this is in fact a commissioned portrait, I have placed it in this portrait unveiling section, although I will admit it has a figurative quality and theme about it. My definition of portraiture may be a broad one, but this piece is clearly about representing the life, relationship and personality of two specific individuals, and so it qualifies as a portrait to me.

Thanks sincerely,

Garth