I especially like the third picture, the short dark haired woman. The harmonies are effective and the close values between light and shadow are but not confused . The vignette works well and the painting seems fresh and effortless. Would that all my paintings were this strong.
I much prefer the less finished pieces. Somehow the more worked over paintings become overworked. When to stop is always a battle...some portion of the piece seems inaccurate or clumsy or just plain wrong...and the next thing I know the painting has lost it's life. We only learn when to stop by repeatedly going on too long.
Life is hard. Medical treatments have diminished my energies and I have had to choose what to neglect.....and posting to this blog was something to let go. However, my strength is returning so I have a backlog. My fascination with painting people persists.
The first 2 are plien air... the 3rd and 4th are studio landscapes. I like painting outdoors and trying to organize a painting surrounded by the great outdoors is a great exercise. Painting in the studio means painting more than you see in the reference photo rather than less. Both are valuable.
