Prayer

[Sharon Knettell]

Beth,

Thank God you posted these new pictures. The others were so pasty, I was beginning to wonder what Bill Whitaker's pallette was and avoid it. They were really dreadful so I thought I would slink away from this post! This really is beautiful, and I like the sparkles. You really are zooming along! I love the shadow from the veil, that is very hard to make work.

I do have some teeny tiny comments as you said you were interested. I would soften her forehead a bit. The cheek to our right down to the neck needs simplifying, soften that area a bit. I leave out things sometimes that are not necessary to define the form, ex. some neck wrinkles etc.. That is called editing. The cheek could use a bit more pink. I always over-rouge my models, and somehow it works in a painting. Stuart always did that and I think he did the most amazing skintones of any portrait painter. You cannot believe how rich and translucent his faces are. Plus he was a Rhode Islander!

Sincerely,