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!