Thanks !!!
 

Thanks Everyone, for this unexpected positive response!

Chris: Again, Thanks! Color adjustments and edge transitions were in a constant state of flux and reassessment. Change one thing and everything else needs an according adjustment. The yellow reflected light in the torso was changed at least six times, being dictated as the chroma levels of the towel were modified.

Marvin: Thanks! You are also a great teacher, reminding me of my own.

Michele: The scope of talent in this forum has truly been inspirational to the way I approached this painting.

Terri: Thanks! I never knew what espadrillles were before!

Jean: Thanks, I will attempt some close-ups in the gallery this afternoon.

Allan: Thanks! Hopefully I have grown as a painter. I see big changes to the way I approached the same subject ten years ago. Photos can be very unreliable resources for paintings. I chose to accept that the final look of the painting would have a very tonal photographic effect; - it would seem super-human in my mind to get beyond that reference limitation. The color seemed to be of lesser importance with the tonal qualities dominating. One also has to use common sense when interpreting color out of a photograph. The colors are always wrong; in my case there was a strong blueish cast. I aimed for the color effect I thought should be there, and then constantly readjusted it until everything just clicked.

Holly: Thanks! The composition was determined through careful cropping. This meant tweaking the canvas stretchers until they were half an inch off of their original intended length.

Shees Garth! This is one fine piece of work. I like the different use of space, unorthodox viewpoint, and tanned legs alongside the boys blond haired, fair, less sunbaked skin. That's a nice touch that is very well done. Of course I also like the other things mentioned as well. :) You have good reason to be proud of this one.

Garth, great work and composition. Do you have a link giving more information on the exhibition?

Garth -

I love it, just love it.

Great piece.

Linda

You all seem too high with your praise, but believe me, I appreciate it!

Carl: Thanks! I had an unexpectedly good response at the exhibition opening today. At first it seemed everyone walked by it, but gradually it became more noticed. Perhaps this was partly because it was hung next to Vince Desiderio's blockbuster triptych, which I felt was the most important work in the show. There were a lot of encouraging comments.

Jimmie: Thanks! As America's oldest art club (1860), The Philadelphia Sketch Club still feels heavily grounded in the past (Thomas Eakins began his teaching career here, before PAFA). This place is well worth a visit. It is full of charm and is burrowed deep down a very tight alley, off the ordinary beaten path.

Here is some pertinent info from their leaflet:

The Philadelphia Sketch Club
A Regional Art Education Center, Library, Museum and Historic Site.
235 South Camac Street (one-way south, between 12th, 13th, Locust and Spruce streets)
Philadelphia, PA 19107
(215) 545-9298
Open M, W, F, Sat, and Sun. from 1pm to 5pm (and its free!)

http://www.sketchclub.org

email: [email protected]

Linda: Thanks!!!

Superb Garth!

You you have masterfully captured the warm fuzzy feeling of a sun-soaking, lazy day. I love the fact that it's photo realistic in nature but without the "plastic look" around the edges that a lot of that style has.

This makes me want to fly out from Seattle to see it. :sunnysmil Excellent painting!

-Geary

Super close-up details
 

As requested, I will send some posts of painting details:

More details:
 

More details, but some are less close up.

And finally, the painting with its frame, which I think helps to unify the composition.

ps........ Garth....I just saw your extreme close ups and I'm amazed at how little tone and color is needed sometimes to make a huge difference in getting the most realistic nuances. I think Mr. Bouguereau said it best when he had a sudden manifistation come to him during a time early in his career:

<< "During that period of my studies -- around 1846 -- when progress was slow or almost nil, and when no one was willing to provide the explanations my soul craved for, I experienced (it was just after my arrival in Paris) many discouraging weeks.
**I was in this state of mind one day when, strolling through the Louvre, I saw the casts of the Parthenon pediment. How can I describe the emotion I felt? A veil fell from my eyes. Never had I experienced such a deep and intense joy. What was it I saw in those wonderful plasters? I understood that the subtlety of accents, in contrast with large planes, is what makes a drawing great. This truth, which I have yearned all my life to express and which still drives me on, is the secret of art. It applies to composition as well as to drawing proper. It is the principle that must guide both the young beginner and the fully developed artist."

Garth .

Thank you for posting the close-ups! I'm just in awe.

Looking at the softness of definition when you're that close, I'm wondering at what distance from the painting does it all come together visually? 4 or 5 feet?