Skater Reflecting
 

Just finished this commission. The mom wanted a reflective pose, though it killed me not to be able to paint her beautiful eyes!

Skater Reflecting
30"x24"
Oil on Canvas

You've captured so much with this
 

Hi Terri -

Nicely painted....

I love how you captured that muscular body. It feels to me like she could instantly spring from that bench - she is so well toned.

At the same time, your soft edges and colors help show off the sweetness of her expression. I like the extra touch of the shoes off and the ankle bracelet - all these things so very much depict her youth.

I bet her mom is VERY happy!

Beautiful job Terri,

Nice job on the skin tones and the modeling of the legs. And a nice little reflection in the skate blade.

Dear Terri,

This is very nice! I second the compliments fom Julie and Mike. This is inspiring because I need to start a similar no-eyes reflective portrait of two little girls tonight. By this wonderful example, you have shown me this is possible to acheive. Thanks for posting this. I love her perfect expression and the very natural pose. Congratulations.

Garth

Boy, Terri, you have come such a long way with your work. Very nice job!

Well, you've all just made my day! Thanks!

Julie - Thanks so much! -that's just what I was trying to show! :sunnysmil

Mike - The skate blade was fun to do. Thanks for noticing! As far as the legs, am working on leaving it alone when something's looking right rather than continueing to tinker (and messing it up. :o) For once, stopped at the right time the first time.

Garth - Thanks! and Good luck with the one you're starting on -- can't wait to see it! This client really wanted something that caught a moment in time and had the feel of being 'candid' not posed. I think for her the downcast eyes most conveyed that sense. Its different somehow to paint a subject without them looking back out at you -- for me at least it was more work to convey a feeling that it was this particular girl -rather than just any girl- sitting there.

Michele - Thank-you! That's thanks to you and all the others here who've been so generous with critiques and advice! Starting out, I didn't know how much I didn't know! (Now at least I know!) More and more am trying to critique my own work as it progresses rather than lean on this forum so much. But all the things you've pointed out and suggested on past pieces are helping me still. I was also lucky enough to attend one of Tim Tyler's workshops this summer. What an amazing experience! I'm hoping to post feedback in the 'workshops' section once I get photos back!

Thanks again!

Gosh, Terri, this is a lovely painting. I really like the unexpected juxapostion of bare feet and ice skates, it's a charming concept. Congratulations!

Thanks Linda! The original plan was to paint her putting her skates on, but couldn't get a shot that didn't look awkward, or unflattering. So we went with an after the event type of concept....

Terri,
What a beautiful painting. I love the pose . I am most struck by how you have captured her grace. How old is she? I can almost perceive the movement between two "ages", a pretty little girl almost a graceful young woman.

Really lovely.

This is just lovely Terri - congratulations!

Hi Pat! -- I know what you mean, that sense of being just on the verge. To some extent it's an illusion brought on by those skating-toned muscles. She's younger than you might think, in 4th grade and working on her double jumps already!

Thanks Kim! :sunnysmil

Great composition
 

Terri, I think you did a great job in building this scene. A 'sports' painting, such as this, can be difficult to capture with a classical atmosphere, but you have done so while capturing the essence of the child. Good job.

Terri, VERY nice job. I'd like to see a close up of her right hand with the roses, if possible.

David and Jimmie - Thanks! Well, you've both hit on a couple of areas that I felt nervous about as I was working on this painting. . .

David - Thanks! Handling the setting was tricky for this painting since skating rinks are so diffusely lit with a multitude of light sources. This area (under a 2nd level viewing balcony) where the skaters get ready to go out on the ice seemed to at least offer the possibility to suggest a more directional light source. The reference for the girl and skates was actually photographed away from the rink with natural light. I went with the 'atmospheric' and sort of roughly suggested background as a way to create a setting that was recognizable to the girl and her family but that didn't require me to fudge too much on lighting that didn't really exist in that environment! I was very nervous to show the client as I hadn't previously done a painting with such a coarse background - mostly slathered on with a palette knife. It wasn't intentionally 'classical' but the client had that same reaction to it (thankfully! :) )

Thanks Jimmie! - That hand was the only part of the reference photo that was blurred (in motion)... and my original plan was to use the hand from the next frame which was clear and held similarly near the flowers (mini-carnations)... but somehow the slight difference in the positioning of the 'clear' hand didn't fit naturally with the rest of the pose, so I resorted back to the original blurry reference and interpreted the hand from there. You'll see in the close-up it's still a little indistinct...

Terri,

I think you did a wonderful job on this. What a treasure for this family. And thanks for the close ups!!

Thanks Janel! :sunnysmil