A Little Body Language

Sometime I come across a picture that just makes me want to paint.  This was one of those - the body language here makes me laugh and I asked the mom of Reese (the little girl in the picture) if I could paint this.  I love painting children but I find that I have to remind myself that when painting portraits the goal is to produce a "likeness" not a photograph.  Rosalind Cuthbert states that the question of what makes a good likeness is impossible to answer.  " If ten painters gathered around a single sitter their differing styles might produce radically different images, each of which might also be a good likeness. " I also like what Chris Saper says in the book, Painting Beautiful Skin Tones with Color and Light.  She says "Think of a portrait as a painting that just happens to star a particular person.  Without the interpretation of the artist to simplify information and decide what is important for the viewer, there's no need for a painting at all.  It would be faster and easier just to take a nice photograph and be done with it."   So if any of you are struggling with portrait painting....remember these words and be kind to yourself.