Not a problem
 

During the procees of developing my paintings I try to work from life as much as possible. Therefore my clients have access to and love to see the work in process. They always say they can't imagine the painting looking better than when they see it.

Their final view is always met with greater excitement when they view those last little touches. It is my experience that 90% of the painting's beauty is created in those final touches. If I can get excited by the progress I make each day, why wouldn't anyone else?

Marvin,

How do you manage to avoid the "ugly stage"? It pains me sometimes to see my own work during this phase. I can't imagine the alarm a client might feel upon viewing their visage in that condition.

I suspect that your experience illustrates why you are one of the "modern masters" on the Art Renewal Center web site. I haven't enough skill to execute a painting so smoothly, or with such confidence so as to by-pass the ugly stage. I struggle virtually the whole way. I call it, "wrestling my alligators to the mat". And too often the alligators win! Ha, Ha! Until I can breathe the rarified air enjoyed by artists such as yourself and Bill Whitaker, I think I had better withold WIP photos from my clients.

Ugly is relative
 

What is ugly to you may not necessarily look ugly to your client. I always explain that the painting is in an early stage and I will be building up layers and improving the look of the painting as time goes by. Also I will have the head laid in (from a combination of my initial study from life and my reference photos). The painting needs to be built up to a point where it makes sense to begin the subtle color changes indicative of a living complexion and warrant a life sitting. The complexion needs something to be related to.

The reason I am a modern master is because I had the good fortune to meet Fred Ross and he liked my work. I still have to develop my paintings one brushstroke stoke at a time, just like everyone else.