#28 of the Fifty Faces

My daughter, Cynthia , captured the photo of this man's face for my project. He willingly posed when she explained what I was doing.

John Singer Sargent was right!

John Singer Sargent said, " A portrait is a painting with something wrong with the mouth". Mouths are very tricky to paint because they are so "plastic" They are not like a nose that stays put. A mouth moves and changes and a tiny brush stroke can change the look and lose the likeness.

Sargent also said that every time he painted a portrait, he lost a friend. I am safe, since none of the faces I am making are commissions and no one has to pay for their portrait unless he or she wants it. Phew!

Face for today, April 27, 2015

I think this is the beginning of week 6 of my portrait project. I have several faces started.  I like to work on more than one at a time, so I don't get get fussy with the paint strokes. I have to let the paint dry a bit overnight, so I can continue the next day.

April 24, 2015, Fifty Faces Continues

April 24, 2015, Fifty Faces Project, half way through

This face was fun to paint. What wonderful character lines in his face.Number 25. Now only 25 more to paint...

April 22, 2015 Face for today

Finished today

It was good t get back into the studio early today. I had been absent for a couple of days taking take of other stuff. If only I didn't have to eat, there would be no shopping, cooking and doing dishes.

I am thinking of offering a class. "Painting Portraits from Photographs". Do you think that there would be enough interest to start that live in the studio? I already have 10 online classes for drawing and painting faces. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/21068

I appreciate all the photos that people are sending to me. It seems to be time to specify what I am looking for again. No babies, small children, grinning smiles, small, or cloudy snapshots with lots of background. I will choose the faces that have interesting character and clear details.

Please keep sending photos 

I am still getting photos that are too small and without enough details.

A Change of Plans

The other night, over dinner, my daughter suggested that I make 50 portraits rather than 100. She said, "I like the sound of 'Fifty Faces." I had to agree. This is the start of the 5th week of work on the project and I have 21 faces completed, and 6 in the beginning stages.

I still plan to have an exhibition in my home gallery of the finished faces and publish a book. The portraits till be available for purchase for $425 + shipping. This is less than half of my usual price.

People have been sending me photos and some have been wonderful and many others I can't use because they are too small, too cloudy, no contrast or facial details. I can not interpret a face in paint that I can not see clearly.

Here are a couple of photos that are good examples of what I can use.