"Marianne"

Sandra Quintus · 10-29-2005, 07:44 PM

Well, I've been lurking long enough. I'm bravely submitting this portrait of a good friend, Marianne for your scrutiny. I have cropped the painting, hoping to improve the composition which origianally included her feet on the fainting couch.
I painted this primarily from life, using the photos I took during the sittings at her home as reference to complete the painting. Marianne sat for a total of 25 hours over a period of 3 weeks last winter.
I learned much doing this portrait. Although portraiture has always been my first love, I have painted only a total of 11 portraits.

Thanks in advance for your comments, critiques, and any encouragement...
Sandra

Sandra Quintus · 10-29-2005, 11:36 PM

I decided to wait to post two other works and take it one at a time.
Sorry about the misleading Title.
Sandra

Sandra Quintus · 10-31-2005, 05:06 PM

Perhaps this close up will be helpful.
Thank you in advance for any comments and suggestions..
Sandra

Sandra Quintus · 10-31-2005, 05:07 PM

Sorry,
but this is oil on linen... originally 18"x24" before the crop.
Sandra

Mark Lovett · 10-31-2005, 08:58 PM

Well done. Nice mood. I like the feel of it.

Sandra Quintus · 10-31-2005, 10:24 PM

Thank you for your comment, Mark. Marianne is a good friend and she has an amazing spirit! Tried to capture a bit of that spark!
Sandra

Steven Sweeney · 10-31-2005, 10:36 PM

Hi, Sandra,

You

Sandra Quintus · 10-31-2005, 10:51 PM

Steve,
Wow! This is great! I am amazed at how helpfull all this is to me.

Calla lillies is right.

And I want you to know how much I appreciate your suggestions. I feel this is one of my best portraits to date, but I also realize there are some things that are just plain distracting in it from her face and expression. I am going to read your suggestions with painting in hand and think about what I might do to simplify the areas around her.

I think the nose is accurate. She is German/gypsy descent, whose ancestors migrated north from Morocco across Spain to Germany. Very unusual, exotic beauty.

Thanks again for your comments.
Sandra

Sharon Knettell · 11-01-2005, 07:30 PM

Sandra,

This is very lovely, accomplished portrait of an unusual beauty. I love the relaxed sinuous pose; something that is quite difficult to pull off. You have made it work. Steven has made some excellent and useful comments and I won't touch on those.

I know I am probably going to get a lot of raspberries from your admirers, but the calla lilies are just too distracting: perhaps it is their whiteness or stiffness. It is a very soft and curvy pose that calls for a more rhythmic type of flower or none save the ones in back.

I know it is a maddening problem, what to do with the hands. It is one that afflicts all figurative and portrait artists. Personally I would have preferred a gypsy type of scarf draped from her hands: it would have added another way of adding additional color notes and said (I think) more about her personality. Actually I am not of fan of sticking flowers into the hands of female sitters ( although I must confess to this sin myself): it always looks somehow artificial and forced. I think the portrait artist should always try for something a bit less overused and more telling.

Sandra Quintus · 11-01-2005, 08:18 PM

Sharon,
Thank you so much for your complements and well thought out suggestions. Your work is beautiful, and I respect your opinion.
I am really new at sitting the subject and I agree that something more simple would have been better. I am a big fan of Daniel Gerhardtz and I have to admit the calla lillies were a lame imitation... hope he remembers that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

I read something here that I think will help in future poses, that the modern trend is to have the sitter in a relaxed pose, hands folded or just held naturally. A gypsy-like scarf could have carried out the vibrance and movement in the same way I have hoped the flowers would. Maybe it is the stark white. Everything else in the room was very "Old World" in color... golds and eggplant... and her black velvet dress with Spanish lace.

Is anyone else inclined to paint the same subject more than once or twice, trying different things each time? Every time I have done that, my son tells me, "Mom, MOVE ON!!"

Anyway, thanks again for the input.

Sandra