Beautiful!
 

What can I add to what has already been said, Garth? Thank you for sharing this. It is so beautifully done!

Just Great!
 

The more I see, the more I enjoy it!
Do you use the "impasto" in your paintings?
I ask this because they look so Alive.

Garth, you are carving a unique path that I certainly would like to follow you along on. To watch you continue to create symphonies on canvas that I could witness, ponder and be inspired from.

Ditto about the WIP thread idea.

I for one, would envisage that I would be drooling from start to finish, much similiar like I am now, not only from sheer astonishment, but from the fact that I have already sat here in front of your work on my screen, long after my eyes had popped out and rolled onto the floor from excessive strain injury and telling myself that to hang in there as this is what all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes is all about.

Symphonies on canvas!!!!!! What a joy to see. Thanks for sharing.

Garth,

Another stunning portrait! This one has become my new favorite of yours! White dresses can be very difficult to paint, and you handled them exquisitely. And the background, and how you added your signature--wonderful! How long did you work on this painting? I would love to see WIP pictures when you're working on your next painting.

Take care,

Renee

Garth

Great Work! Superior draftsmanship!

Keep posting more stuff!!!
Tony

Garth, your work is so unique. A wonderful blend of traditional and modern in presentation. I can only wonder at your humility. Jewels every time. Thanks.
Regards -eric.

Holy cow, Garth...I just came across this.

It's amazing. What I love about your work conceptually is that you don't "invent" life--you let it happen, and dedicate yourself to getting it down and getting it right. Who could wish for more?

Thanks for posting it--I plan to learn a lot from it.

Best--TE

The Reader's Digest Version of your kind words:
 

Dear Everybody,

Thanks for the surprisingly huge response! In addition to:
Kim
Scott
Allan
Mary
Terri
Patricia
David B.
Jimmie
Richard
Linda
Jane
and, David D.,

I also wish to acknowledge and thank the following individuals:
Jean
Chris
Janel
Beth
Michele
Mike
John
Heidi
Julie
Claudemir
Ngaire
Renee
Tony
Eric
and, Tom

...for your extraordinarily kind words and praises! My head is swelled and about to burst at this point. I will attempt to thank and respond to you individually, but I will begin collectively.

In a condensed nutshell version, here are some of the wows of your reviews grouped together:

This is sort of the complete thesaurous of the WOW! What more could possibly be said about a simple painting? I am ovewhelmed! I may have forgotten some who like October R., were very helpful with emailed critiques during the recent shutdown.

Thank you ALL!

With sincere appreciation,

Garth

Garth, this is a stunning painting,masterly painted, designed,devised.
Your technique is perfect!
I have a few questions for you on the reasons of your choices.

What are the reasons for you to choose such an unconventional pose?
I find that this painting is not anymore about the girls individually but more about their relationship. The viewer becomes an amused spectator of this moment and is sucked into the delightful atmosphere, but in a sense he/she is not involved, not invited or confronted by the eyes of the models.
Do you consider this a portrait or a figurative piece? Is it a commission or a piece that will be on sale?
Sorry for being so curious, I would love to paint more family groups, but always end up by having to do all the kids separately and miss out a lot of fun!
With respect and affection
Ilaria

Dear Ilaria,

Thank you so much for your kind thoughtful words! I will address your questions which are all good ones.

Ilaria, the mother of these two beautiful girls insisted on this unexpected image which occurred during the initial photo shoot for the portrait. While she wished the eyes were showing (they both have huge warm brown eyes), the moment of interaction was paramount to her. We jointly agreed this would be a powerful thing to capture in paint.
The relationship is the theme of this portrait. These fortunate girls were both adopted by wonderful and generous parents and so have become sisters for life.
Since this is in fact a commissioned portrait, I have placed it in this portrait unveiling section, although I will admit it has a figurative quality and theme about it. My definition of portraiture may be a broad one, but this piece is clearly about representing the life, relationship and personality of two specific individuals, and so it qualifies as a portrait to me.

Thanks sincerely,

Garth