Sister Delores Beringer, csj

[Elizabeth Schott]

This is a posthumous portrait of Sister Delores Beringer, csj.

A large parish in my city is building a new parish center and will honor her memory by naming the center after her.

Their were only two photos the sisters could provide me, one had a copyright and the other was not very flattering. So I tried to carry on the Mattelson torch and worked with a model for the body position. In researching her, I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the skin tones of her fellow sisters, she passed in her 90

[Kimberly Dow]

That is a lovely portrait! And with bad references! Great job Beth - I am impressed.

[Mary Sparrow]

Very NICE Beth. !

[Allan Rahbek]

Congratulations, I think that you have been very successful in combining the source material with the model used. There is a fine unity and believability in the colors.

Allan

[Michele Rushworth]

I think this is your best yet, Beth. You are a master at hands. It was a brilliant decision to use a model for the body.

[Mike McCarty]

Beth,

This is our ticket into heaven (I really need to find some coattails somewhere). Between this and the earlier Priest, you are a shoe in.

But seriously, this is a beautiful painting. You are getting quite good with that flesh palette.

[Elizabeth Schott]

Thank you all very much, Mike I am not sure I am a sure-in into heaven yet. I must admit many #$@$%% were loudly said during this challenge.

I thought for fun, and to see if Karin falls over, I would post the original reference, then a composite showing the model (a joke we did for her husband) and the shot I used for the body.

I think two things, well three (they know who they are) helped me with this; one - actually visiting the sisters and looking at their skin tones, two- the portrait Juan Martinez did that won the competition in Canada last year, I would go back to it for the blending and skin tones (I used Marvin's palette). I felt like Juan's had a "Doris Day" through the cheese cloth quality that I felt would work well for this.

[Henry Wienhold]

Very well done, I like the way you handled the edges in this painting and the way you added blue into the background, everything ties together so well.

[Kimber Scott]

This portrait is so soft and comforting it almost brought tears to my eyes... and I'm not even Catholic. Beautiful job on a beautiful lady.

[Cynthia Daniel]

Very well done, Beth!