"A lotus grows in a clear water,
so natural without overly decorating"
(Qing shui chu fu rong,
Tian ran qu diao shi)

"Lotus Tom", a possible name for posterity.

Tom,

This is a beautiful painting. The skin tones and color are amazing, but I think what really sells me on this one is the mood. Maybe it's a rare, lazy moment when there's nothing else to do but sit outside and enjoy the morning sunlight. I think some of the best portraits/figures look less posed and arranged and more natural. This one has that quality. Thanks for briefly sharing your procedure.

Richard

SB-- Thanks...Lotus Tom it is.

Richard--Thanks...he's a little more "arranged" than I normally like, but again, this is part of a pair of companion paintings.

I will take it to the framer's this afternoon, so I re-worked the bothersome hand a little. I don't know if this grab next to the window light will show the solutions--they're very subtle--but the problems were:

1) Too much contrast in that area in general, especially in the shadows of the hand and shorts

2) I made the rookie mistake of over-delineating between the fingers and overmodeling on the whole. Probably from fatigue.

Overall, I softened edges (they were sharper than the nearer hand, obviously a problem), reduced contrast and had another look at the outside contour around it.

Sometimes it's better to set a painting aside for a couple of days and come back to it. I hope this helps anyone struggling with the same thing.

Tom,

What a great portrait! I must have missed this entirely when I was in Maine for a few days in the beginning of July. So glad Sharon brought the thread back up. It's beautifully painted, as everyone has said in so many ways already. I just want to add that the glimpse of this boy's personality in his sparkling, attractive expression is what makes me feel he's a real person. I'm sure people will marvel how you modeled the figure and got the flesh tones just right, etc,, and the parents will gloat and brag about how great you are (which you are!), but in the end they will treasure this one and enjoy looking at it over and over because of the life in that boy.

Alex--

Thanks so much, I appreciate this a great deal.

I expect to have ups and downs with technique through time, but if I can retain the aliveness, I'll be satisfied.

All the best--TE

Oh, Tom, this is incredible! You've outdone yourself (and just about everybody else as far as I can tell, too.) Just fabulous!

Thanks so much Michele! I do feel I'm in a period of improvement.

Best to you--TE

Very nice, Tom. I like the Bouguereau feet also.

Steve

Steve--

Thanks so much!

Tom, I am late to post on this thread, but I had to come on here and say how very much I like this new painting of yours. It has a winsome gentle softness that grabs the viewer right away.

Everything works - the composition, the pose, the paint quality, the edges, the color - whenever I see one of your outdoor portraits I think I should just give up doing them myself.

I've looked at your work for years now and have had so much pleasure in doing so.