Arianna and Taylor
 

Two beautiful sisters aged six and seven presented a challenge. This image of the girls just being girls interacting was the prefered one despite their beautiful eyes being downcast and hidden. It was a moment to savor and remember.

Arianna and Taylor
Oil on linen,
39" x 35"
2005

I'd love to know what you think, thanks!

Garth

More painting details:

Garth, this is just stunning. So soft and subtle, it's just plain beautiful. The dresses are perfect. I especially love the loose painterly leaves behind them. And the composition is wonderful. The parents are going to worship you!

I just spotted your signature - you are one clever guy.

Dear Kim,

Thanks! You're so kind. I bet people will think I paid you to say those things!

Garth

Garth:

You keep getting better when I'm (nearly) certain it's impossible to do so. That image of the blond girl and that perfect nostril and the delicate treatment of her upper lip is poetry--I don't know how else to describe it.

If Sargent saw this, he'd demand a master class from you.

In the case of this painting you can have these compliments for free.
Note: Prices subject to change without notice. ;)

Wow Scott,

I am overwhelmed! Thanks for your kind words; I appreciate them. Actually to be sure, I would time travel in an instant to be a fly on the wall in Sargent's circle.

Garth

Garth,
You have a reputation to live up to, can

Thanks so much Allan!

The juxtaposition was a happy accident as the girls spontaneously seated themselves, but obviously could not sit still. They wore mama's shoes, but the dresses were tailored for them.

Garth

Garth, you already know what I think of this. I just don't know HOW you do it. When are you going to start having workshops?
I'm simply at a loss for words. Awesome seems not enough.

Absolutely Stunning!
 

Talk about setting the bar Garth! Pure inspiration --and inspirational. This has so much life and energy. The expressions, the hair cascading in front of her face (so real!), the way you've handled that wrought iron seat, even. Can't say enough.

Thanks for posting the closeups!

Garth,
This is so beautiful and what great close ups to study! Thank you for posting them. I love the juxtaposition of the girls' arms. I would imagine this is very hard to pull off without the arms looking awkward in space. But you have done a successful job of painting a sense of atmosphere and air around them. The whole piece has a sweet energy. I can hear the girls' chatter ;)

Can I ask how many hours you think you put into this? I also like the fabric of the dresses, beautiful!

Excellent
 

I am reading into Scott's comments and believe he is bestowing upon you the dubious distinction of becoming a living master ;) This is a fantastic piece that is well beyond a portrait. This is a beautiful spontaneous work of art. When a scene, such as this one, presents itself serendipitously, it makes planning the work that much easier.

Unbelievable. I've said it before, you are extremely modest. You'd be more then a fly on the wall in Sargent's circle, he'd be looking to you for inspiration on children. It would be more like Herrick's circle. I'll be returning to this as with many of your others for my own inspiration.

Garth,
You have launched out of earth's orbit with this painting. Stunning! The rest of us mere mortals can only stare and gape. I keep going back and studying the picture and close ups. There is so much to learn from your technique. The softness, the sensitivity and the value structure! Thanks for the lessons.

Garth, I've been looking at this painting and the closeups for the past ten minutes and this is so very beautifully painted. The edges are extraordinary and you are brilliant at depicting the textures of all of these surfaces. These dresses float.

Now that I've seen quite a few of your paintings, I have to add that what is incredibly impressive to me is the way you can adjust your style to suit the sensitivity of each painting. My hat goes off to you.

Really?! Thanks!!
 

Dear Mary, Terri, Pat, David, Jimmie, Richard, and Linda,

You are my early-bird friends! I am overwhelmed, even floating on the ceiling as I awake to your kind praises! Too much at once! I am surprised because I was reallly getting kind tired of looking at this painting every day. Not that one can truly overdose on pretty girls though!

Mary: If you can convince me I have things to teach you may cause a paradigm shift in me. Thanks for your early feedback and help.

Terri: You threw that bar up out of sight with your recent commissions. Don't blame me! I am in awe of your improvement. Thank you too for early feedback and help during the recent shutdown. You made a quality difference in this painting's finish.

Pat: Thanks! I have lost track of the hours. Too many!

David: Thanks (I think). Well at least I am still living, but there's still much to master.

Jimmie: Thanks! You know I keep returning to your many many captivating portraits of real women. Inspiring!

Richard: Thanks. Don't worry, my feet are back on the cold ground. I have been a value control freak though. Sometimes the value nuances are more sensitively subtle than I can capture. I'm learning.

Linda: Thanks for your compliment! These paintings do seem to take their individual course. I feared I posted too many close-ups, but there is just so much going on in this portrait. Don't lose your hat!

Garth

Every time I see you have posted something new I can't wait to see what it is - like opening a christmas present!! Each time is more wonderful than the last - Extraordinary...

The feeling is mutual!
 

Dear Jane,

I feel exactly the same when you post your penetrating portraits. Thanks so much. What would we do without this Forum?

Garth

Holy Moly!!

That's about all I can get out just now. I'll need a few days (or weeks) to digest what I'm seeing.

I'd gladly be a fly on the wall of Herrick's circle.

Again, the feeling is mutual!
 

David,

Thanks! Like I just expressed to Jane, your work is fabulous and very inspirational. I don't know where i would be without all the incredible talents here to bounce off of and be inspired by.

Garth

Garth,

You can never post too many close-ups of your work. I may look, trying to learn something, but always come away flabbergasted. It's simply too lovely to look at! I forget to study.

I'm often bored with the standard little girl in the white dress, but this is a whole new take on an old idea. It's exciting, fun, beautifully executed, and awe inspiring.

Jean

Dear Garth,

What a delight! There' s not much I can add to the already well- stated kudos at hand, a beautifully successful piece.

Too many close ups? Surely you jest.

Garth this is absolutely beautiful!!

I know, how original of me.

I would also like to thank you for the close ups. They are yummy to look at. So helpful.

Hey, I just thought of this, do you know what would be a real treat? If you would start a thread and post a painting in progress. That would be the TREAT OF ALL JAMMIE TREATS for me. What do you say?

By the way a "jammie treat" is a very special event around here. It is the time of day that we all get into our jammies and have a treat before bed. Not always edible. It was my way of making bed time something to look forward to for my children. Works great, and it is a hoot when my husband asks "Honey, what is the jammie treat for tonight?"

Garth another beautiful work!

Congratulations!

Man, how DO you do that !? I'd love to see some work-in-progress stuff too. Fabulous!

Very nice Garth.

I agree that these spontaneous "less than" posed portraits of children are very compelling.

Garth, thank you for sharing. What a beautiful painting and the close ups help to add to the strength.

Ever since I first saw your painting of the boy sunbathing I have been waiting patiently for more. I am not disappointed.

I have just brought to a close the face of a little boy with puppies that has similar lighting and down cast eyes. I must say that as much trouble as I have had I am glad to see yours worked out so well. I still have a lot of work to do but I thank you for the inspiration.

Again, a beautiful piece!

If there's room for one more wow here, I'll try to squeeze this one in.
WOWY WOW
The mother's shoes are a perfect addition to this piece.
Such a gift to be able to view your work here Garth. Seeing it live - now that would really be something special.

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