Wow what an amazing journey you are on Michele. Are you still floating on cloud 9?

We are all proud of you for continuing your hard work, dedication admist many obstacles, I am sure. What an inspiration to us mere morsels like myself can aspire to and no doubt members of your own family can admire and love you for.

Add Australia to your list of world wide admirers.

Michele,

Finally! I just got to see this after retuning from the coast.

What a stunning job. What press! Great subject! You and the governor must be both thrilled.

And as a bonus, he has two adorable girls and a beautiful wife. Potential there, I'm sure!

Michele:

It is even a little better than you said cause you forgot me: Portugal ! LOL

:) :) :)

Regards and, again, congratulations for your talent!
Rui

excellent job! - You and Garth have sure made it to the major leagues!

congratulations!
Linda

Late to the party, as usual - but I still want to toast to this marvelous painter and her inspiring work!

Michele, Linda N. is right - you're now a star player in the Big Show. I don't know if our eyeballs can handle you topping this one, but I know that you surely will!

All my heartfelt congratulations on a fine work of art, and for the great recognition it has brought... and will continue to bring you.

Thanks, Rob!

The Governor just sent me a very nice quote about the painting and about working with me, which I plan to use in my marketing materials:

"Michele has an amazing talent of making the people on her canvas come alive. I was so pleased and so touched by her portrait of me. She is not only a delightful person to work with, but made the entire process thoroughly pleasant and comfortable."

Michele,
Amazing work. Congratulations. Very interesting approach. I have seen Nelson Shanks paint several times but never have I seen him paint as you did....meaning a highly detailed sketch that is painted a little at a time until almost finished before moving to the next area. In fact, what I got from his teaching was the opposite. Im not sure if he changed his style or I was just unaware that he was painting this way.

Did your client sit and pose live at all?

Also, I'm not sure if you are using much texture or not but it appears that you are not and that visible brush strokes are minimal. Do you mind telling me what type, size etc.. brushes you are using? And your medium?

Also, between sessions, when the paint dries and goes flat in areas, do you use retouch varnish or something to make the values easier to see?

Again congratulations on an incredible painting.
Mark

Hi Mark,

To answer your questions: no, the Governor's schedule did not allow for live sittings. I did two photo sessions with him and two photo sessions with his staff members prior to that, standing in for him, to test various lighting and posing options.

There is no surface texture on the painting and I don't use any medium -- just Gamblin or Winsor Newton paint straight out of the tube.

When dark areas get dull and sunken in, I brush on a 50/50 mixture of linseed oil/odorless mineral spirits to "oil out" those places. Then I wipe most of it off.

For the face, hands and the seal on the chair I used a tiny synthetic brush that is about 1/16th of an inch wide and about 1/3 of an inch long. For larger, simpler areas I used larger sizes, all in filbert shapes and mostly synthetics.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for your reply Michele. Very interesting and helpful. .It's amazing that you use such small brushes. It must take a very long time to paint in this method although I guess you dont have to rework areas much. Did I understand you correctly that you worked on this painting for about a year?? And what is the size of it?
Also, why do you prefer synthetics over sables?
Thanks,
Mark

The painting itself took about two months, though from the start of the planning, taking the photos, creating the painting, getting the framing done, and scheduling the unveiling event it was over a year.

The painting is 30 x 43".

I like synthetics over sables because they're springier, hold up better and cost less.