John,

I saw this in my e-mails but I missed it here, as I was looking in Unveilings for the Seasoned Pro." (That is, after all, how I think of you.) What a GREAT idea! The chairs function perfectly as a compositional element, very effective in the abstract. They also make this portrait entirely personal and professional at the same time. We should all take a lesson from you. Plus, chairs have so much symbolism here. There is the reference to his contribution to the school and his interest in making the seating comfortable. But his desire that everyone be comfortable is a reflection on his personality, which you have shown so well. His face says "Welcome," and his hands on the chairs seem to say, "Have a seat."

It's also so well painted (not surprisingly) and confident as a portrait. Good luck on your current commission.

Thank you so much, Alex,

To be blunt, I have wondered about the distinction between "Unveilings " and "Unveilings for the Seasoned Pro". I have always considered that as someone else's place to rank me and not my place to choose. Thank you for your high praise. To come from someone of your caliber means a lot.

And thank you for your kind words regarding the portrait. Your thoughts are appreciated

Dear John,

As the criteria for posting in the "Unveilings for the Seasoned Pro" section states:

[QUOTE]Only for the seasoned professional portrait painter who is practicing professionally[/QUOTE]

If portraiture is your profession and you are selling, then I would say that you more than qualify to display your work in this section. :thumbsup:

Hi John -

Congratulations on a fine portrait! I like this pose - he seems like a very personable man. I'm studying your skin tones and your approach to the painting.

Hello Julie,

You should be familiar with my skin tones, I am a limited palette man painting with Marvin's palette. I thoroughly enjoy this palette. I don't mix up tubes but prefer to spend a couple of hours at the beginning of each week mixing the paint as a warm up exercise to get me tuned in to seeing values and colors.

I was trained at an early age to exercise my hand, brain and eye each day by drawing quick gestures of straight lines and circles. My teacher, Jay O'Meilia, continues to employ these exercises to this day. If I'm not mistaken he is in his seventy's and still is a prolific sculptor and painter.

Thanks for your comments. It's always nice to hear from you.