Anastacia
 

Anastacia, 24" x 32" oil on Claessen's oil primed linen:

Detail:

That looks great, Michael.

Peter

Absolutely beautiful Michael! You are truly an inspiration to me.

She reminds me of Helen Hunt!

Can you do a closeup of the hands?

Thanks for your comments. :)

Marta: Here is a detail of the hands:

Yeah, she kind of looks like Helen Hunt. Great job Michael! Is this a commission?

Josef: No, this is a work for an upcoming show. Ana is a friend of my wife and she gratefully agreed to pose for me. I have never seen the resemblence to Helen Hunt until you folks said it. :)

Michael,

Lovely and simple, beautifully designed.

Sincerely,

Michael,

I just wanted to compliment you on a great job. I especially love the hot glow accents of the hair. Best of luck at the show you're entering it into.

Helen would be flattered to know she looks like your beautiful friend.

Linda

Sharon, Linda, Thank You. :)

Beautiful Michael
 

I'll be looking at this often, very classic. Can you post a detail of her face? You have an incredible ability to capture fabric, it's softness and how it drapes on the body. What pigments were used in the background? Good luck at the show.

Jean

Jean:

Thanks for your comments. :) The background was done with successive glazes of Asphaltum mixed with Transparent Earth Red. At the bottom and working up, I darkened it a bit with some Raw Umber on the right and lightened it on the left with Naples Yellow. It is somewhat darker in the pics than it is in the actual painting.

Here is a closer detail shot of her face:

Awesome
 

Michael,

Beautiful painting. Great pose, rendering of fabric, execution of the hands, everything! I think we have a winner...

Thank you Richard. :)

Bravo Michael, the hands and fabric have a real touch!

Do you think people will be upset if I move my easel every 30 minutes to be by all you guys? My canvas may look like a Picasso, but it will be fun to watch you guys work too! :thumbsup:

Elegant! People like you keep raising the bar around here.

Lifelike
 

This is so lifelike! May I ask how many hours the model sat for you?

Lovely, powerful, elegant.

Beth: It will be a great class! I really look forward to meeting you all in person - I am sure you are all even more wonderful in person.

Will: I keep bonking the bar with my nose, but eventually I will get under it! :)

Jeanine: This model sat for me for about an hour while I took the photographs (sorry, not from life..yet) and then again for about an hour while I mixed the flesh palette and "looked". Unfortunately, I don't yet have a studio setup that would accomodate this sort of portrait from life. My wife and I are talking about using our family room as a dual-use room - I could put a model stand in a corner and paint from a live model there. All things in time. :)

Dear Michael,

What a lovely piece. I could swear I see some William Whitaker influence! I am saying this as a great compliment, just in case there is doubt about my comment. Just beautiful!

Michael,

Just thought I'd add that I made this painting into "wallpaper" on my computer at work so I could enjoy/study it. I've had so many people stop by and admire it. Some that know I paint, ask if it's mine. (Duh,I wish!) I say, no, that was done by a portrait artist I admire, Michael Georges.

I do change wallpaper fairly often, but this one has been such a hit, it's still there.

What a beautiful painting! I especially like the colour and the way you did the background. The painting looks so elegant and the lady has great poise!

Mai

Dear Michael,

This is such an impressive painting. The halation around her hair suggests a spiritual quality to me. I love the pose, the fabric treatment, the hands - it all comes together so elegantly. Every woman would love to be painted so sensitively and well.

For my sake, I hope Bill Whitaker doesn't grade on a curve.

Best regards,
Linda

Enzie, Marta, Mai, and Linda:

Thank you all for your kind words.

Marta: What a kick! I am flattered. I have done that with Bill Whitaker's works for about 6 months now. :)

Linda: I definitely appreciate the compliment, but I wouldn't worry too much - I will be lucky if I can get the eyes in the right place, let alone dance! :)

Michael,

It's mostly redundant to add my praise to that which you have already received about this painting, but here I go anyway: It's beautiful!

A very sensitive work which displays, in my opinion, what fine art portraiture ought to be about. Do you feel that you are entering a "growth phase" where your art is concerned? I ask this, because I believe that your work has shown a substantial leap forward in recent times. I'm a fairly new member here and often feel intimidated at the idea of expressing an opinion (mostly because I know very little about portraiture as an art). But I believe I have a good eye, and can spot a well-crafted work of art when I see one. Above, I see a well-crafted work of art!

Valerie:

Thanks very much for your post. Welcome to the forum, BTW. :)

I had the opportunity to spend three weeks with William Whitaker (www.williamwhitaker.com) this past September. Without a doubt, it was a life changing experience that changed the whole way I paint. I have also been trying to draw from life as much as I can so yea, I think I have taken some strides over the past months.

But WOW do I have a long way to go yet... :)