The many expressions of Sharon

Portrait of Sharon
Portrait of Sharon, 12”X17” Oil on Board

This painting was completed in June 2014 and I wanted to present it with some of its earlier stages and thoughts while I was painting it.

It started when my friend came for a visit and graciously agreed to sit for a portrait.
I set up and started painting from observation that day when she was posing for me. I later finished the portrait from her photo.

Here is how it started:
Portrait of Sharon  at the beginning

My medium was half linseed oil half mineral spirit. The mineral spirit dilutes the paint and oil and breaks the paint’s bonds, making the pigment flow similar to a watercolor and the oil keeps the pigment flowing and glossy and bonds it to the canvas. I really enjoy starting out with translucent paint and then building up paint on top of it.

I selectively rendered some parts more than others and left others simplified and flat. The idea was to create visual contrast between the rendering style of different parts thus drawing attention to the part I was most interested in, which is her eyes.

Throughout the painting process her portrait acquired a variety of subtle variations in expression. Here are some photos

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