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Great stuff.

There is much that is laudable here. You are a very careful painter. It is possible that your palettes are too literal. It was when I started nudging a shadow minutely into varying chroma that it became more convincing. Rather than paint a shadow in values of a single color, see it as complex in color and form as the subject, albeit much more subtle. Especially when your shadow is of significant import in the composition as above. If you can look at master works for which the real life referent is available you will notice how far the color is pushed past the literal in both subject and shadow to improve the painting and render it more convincing, compelling. I notice a bit of this in the bluejeans but I am, let’s face it, staring at pixels, not your paintings.
When the proportions of your faces are off they are off in a consistent way. There is too much space between the bottom of the nose and the eyes. there is too little space between the bottom of the nose and the mouth. The chins seem to jut too far or perhaps the jawbone is missing. All this is easy to do! It is remarkable how small and squished together the features of the face actually are.
Have you had a chance yet to study anatomy? Perhaps Gary Faigan’s book on facial expressions? This is helping me a great deal. I am just slightly ahead of you in skill level.

You website is the first ever I have wanted to peruse every page of. I am studying your article on color and the Munsell System which I find fascinating. The idea of five colors on the color wheel intrigues me. I like the intelligence with which you write and design this site.

Please do not publish my email.

Cementgirl,

I have never published any commenter’s email address and would not do so with yours unless you specifically asked me to. Even the email I have listed on the site for myself has been digitally masked so that it is more difficult for spambots to see it.

Thanks for your careful comments. It is very helpful to have other artists look at one’s work and provide constructive feedback.

I’m aware of some consistent problems with head structure and, as I do more portrait/figure work, plan to be extremely careful in observation and measurement.

I do work on subtly varying hue and chroma within shadows; perhaps not enough. That’s something I’ll pay more attention to in the future.

Thanks again. I’d be very pleased if you commented on other posts on this site.

Move over Vermeer. I love the glass bulbs and the leaves. It’s amazing the way you really got the crinkly papery feel of the leaves perfectly as well as he shiny transparent glass. I am not sure my computer is showing me the actual colors as they would be were I seeing the painting in person - so i wont comment. Was Vermeer an influence of yours? Is it so obvious as to be stupid to ask?

Kathryn,

Thank you. I certainly admire Vermeer greatly and have been strongly influenced by him and other Northern European old masters. Any comparison of my work to his, however, seems like quite a stretch.

I like your self-portrait. Do you have any more?

Moi,

I don’t have any other self-portraits I like enough to post.

David,

Your blog is amazingly full of very practical information. I came across it as I was looking for facts on water-miscible oils, walnut oil and various other questions. I’ve been an artist for 40 some years who developed a very strong reaction to turpentine and strong solvents. Our stint in art school was from the very laid-back years when realism was discouraged and the profs never taught structure. The studios were full of turp fumes while we studied and painted til late into the night, drinking coffee while all these fumes settled into our food and cups. No one thought to tell us how poisonous that was so I appreciate the caution today’s artist takes in researching and keeping their studios free of toxic materials..I could have had a much healthier/happier time in my studio had I known then what I know now. One thing more…your texture in the single boot drawing is so completely leather! You really captured the feel; the worn and soft quality of leather.

Colette,

Thanks very much. I’m rather fond of that drawing.

David,
You work reminds me of an artist I studied with @ MICA… Joseph Sheppard.
I think you would like the work of his best student Douglas Hofmann and the use of the ‘Maroger Method’ of painting. Doug is my best friend, and even though we are opposites in painting style. I’m more of a John Sloan, Lovis Corithn style painter. I’m enjoying your web site. I still believe that the artist who studies the past and present continues to advance his own craft. This is what the younger artists forget to do!

Thanks,
Bruno

One of my favorite quotes from Leonardo - “Art is never finished, only abandoned. “