Charity
 

30x20" on ABS panel.

There is a subtle indication of knees here, but Im not sure it will show up on everyone's computer screens.

There is also a bit more room at the top and bottom of the painting that I clipped off the photo to get it straight.

Thanks for looking!

Gotta Catch My Breath!
 

Oh my...WOW! This knocks my socks off! It truly took my breath away. The power and impact of this painting is ... well ... I love it. :o

Hi Kim,
What a great painting! I remember seeing it in progress and it turned out to be a very beautiful work. Congrats!

Thanks Carol & Claudemir. :)

Here is a close up of the face (I see I still need to fiddle with her right eye a bit) - and a shot of the bottom at an angle to give an idea of whats going on down there.

Kim, this is amazing. Her fingers look like they're moving, the flatter darks against the beautifully modulated lights (or maybe I ought to say that the other way round) are delicious. And the narrative implications... I could go on and on. I am getting very tired of seeing these wonderful paintings only on my monitor. For two cents I would fly to Texas to see this in person (24 hour blizzard, don't ask). Thanks for showing. Janet

Kim,

So very engaging! I love this painting.

Kim, everything about this painting really works so well - there's such a sense of mystery and of urgency that grips the viewer. Great paint handling and I love the color scheme, too.

Janet, I had a chance to see two of Kim's paintings in person and they really do glow from within.

Thank you ladies!

Janet, I don't mean to rub it in or anything, but it was 70 degrees here yesterday. Come on down! :cool:

Linda, your check is in the mail. ;)

Wonderful. My favorite of all your paintings so far.

Wow, Kim! I wish I could see it in person too. I love the picture and the closeup has soo many colors and is so beautifully modeled.

Thank you Michele & Julie. :D

Julie, you're invited along with Janet - in fact - you're all invited, even if you don't want to see the painting. I could use a good party. Besides, there are enough Thanksgiving leftovers I wouldn't have to cook. :o

Great work Kim, this one I think is your best ..and the hands were fabulous right from the start -well done!

What a terrific job Kim. This is now my favorite work of yours. What was the motivation behond the composition?

Hi Kim,

As you already know from WIP, I'm so impressed with this painting! It's definitely one of my favorites. Something exciting it happening with your work, and I have the feeling this is only the beginning.

Alex

Thank you folks.

Linda, Im not sure if your asking where the idea came from or just the composition? There werent many considerations of the composition once I saw her hands. That and her one pseudo-squinting eye is all I had on my mind. The reference shot was really blown out on the hands as well, but I didnt care...I kinda liked the effect. Actually...I wasnt at all sure I could pull off the eye convincingly.

If your asking how the idea came about it was a collaboration with the model I suppose. She is a great one - give her a few inspirational words and she will try out different poses. I can't remember what I was asking her to try....but it wasnt anything to do with 'Charity'. As soon as I saw this - that is what I thought though.

Sometimes I come up with an idea fully realized before I start (like my No Evil painting or Unrequited) - but more often than not I have a model I want to use, maybe a prop, maybe a certain pose....and as I am taking photos ideas come to me that are more narrative in nature and I will direct the model more specifically then. Occasionally I dont realize a narrative until I see the photos when I am downloading them.

In other words - I still have no idea what I am doing most days. Which isn't so bad actually - I like suprises. :cool:

Kim, I can't even express the way I feel about this painting. It makes me want to quit everything I am doing and do everything in my power to paint like this. I have always liked your paintings, but this is truly amazing. :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Omygod!
 

Kim, out of all the gorgeous paintings I have seen you do, THIS ONE is AMAZING to me! The mood and the 'feel' of this is so inspiring, (and I haven't done portraits in a LONG time) it makes me want to immediately break out my oils and get to painting! TRULY BEAUTIFUL!
Jen

Wow, what great responses! Thank you Mary & Jennifer! :sunnysmil

You know I was only kidding about sending Linda a check, right? I can't possibly afford to pay all of you. ;)

Kim,
Back from a two weeks vacation it is nice to see all the hard labor people have put into the art of art. ;)

Your "Charity" turned out well, I like it very much and think it is one of your best. I like the frontal, symmetrical composition, that makes the small diversions, like the squinting eye and the movement of the hands, so much stronger.

I feel that you maybe are turning into a stronger way of expression, judging from the bold strokes and and the simplicity of the composition.

Allan

Thank you Allen for your nice comments!

I also appreciated the discussion we had privately about it as well and took your comments seriously. I didnt realize the Danish had to look up so many words, no wonder you type so slow. ;)

Kim-- this is Gorgeous! Thanks for posting the closeup of the face. . . it shows so much more of what's there than the full image shot. and it's so neat to watch the way your painting style is evolving. I bet in real-life this just glows. Love the pose/movement and expressiveness you've captured in the hands!

Curious which image (close-up or whole painting) shows the color more truly?

(Just trying to catch up with things after being away over Thanksgiving or would have replied sooner :bewildere )

Thanks Terri!

Actually, I didnt change anything on my settings when I photographed this. The full shot is from about 3 1/2 feet away, then I scooted up to the face real close...just inches. I know they look like they are different in color temperatures, but according to my camera.....this is what it looks like when you get that close....it just melds into the other when you get farther back. If I had to hazard a guess though - I can see more of the shifts in color in her face from a distance than you are seeing on your screen. More of the cools especially.

Kim--
Great job!

--TE