Thank-you for your comments, Sharon. I am always very pleased to hear from you, and educated and very encouraged by what you have to say.

I am not sure, though, what you mean here:

Do you mean that you don't feel a face well-drawn and painted with truly felt and animated marks is near what we're aiming for? Are you saying that a David-like clean, smooth painting is just as good (which it can be, of course, I fully agree. I just am personally no good at doing David-like paintings; and I tried and tried). What is the difference, in your opinion, between realism and realistic? I am not arguing here, I am just hoping to clarify your meaning.

Carlos, it's always nice to be agreed with - you feel you are on some sort of "right" track. It's especially good to be agreed with by you. Thank-you for your (very articulate) comments. I also do my sketches and idea working-outs on the actual canvas and draw with tones (rather than outlines) to get a sense of solidity - it's so important - solidity, that is. If the character or composition or physiognomy looks off, it 99% due, I think, to erroneous rendering of space and form. And if you have a sense of form, I feel, even the sketchiest marks and the most distorted face look solid and finished.

I am starting to put in outlines as a compositional element - yay! I love bits of outlines, like Degas, who (with Picasso - thanks heavens he existed because he allows so much freedom and unfinishedness), I must admit, is one of my most returned-to influences. Now I am rambling, but rambling is a bit like beginnings of paintings - it shows where you are as a thinker and writer.

Alex, thank-you again, so much for your continued support. It goes a very, very long way to increasing my confidence and experimenting, and with the influence of your own excellent works I feel I am sailing along very well indeed.

I will start that thread you suggested just as soon as I've posted this.

It is really, for me, a hard concept to get across. I have seen portraits, beautifully and skillfully painted, that are dead. I have seen Van Gogh's potraits, not skillful but alive.

It a matter of the conciousness of the painter coming through the paint. The paint as well as the subject are both alive. It is not a matter of style. I was just referring to how I paint. I love Gwen Johns paintings.

Yes, I understand what you mean perfectly, Sharon. That sense of life is the realism I am after. It's so hard to achieve, sometimes, though, and my paintings get redone so many times until I find it.

Fabulous news Thomasin!

You are getting to quite a regular with those prizes.

Wonderful painting.

Thank-you very much, Sharon. I am glad I got to be an artist's mag. finalist last year because out of curiosity I went through all the other finalists names on the internet to see their work, came across your name, your lovely work and this forum, and here I am. So I thank you for being a finalist, Sharon. Much appreciated!