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Will,
You are a brave soul! I remember painting my wife in watercolor, and it is the hardest thing to do. My wife has a million different expressions which rattle around in my subconscious while I try to paint the one singular expression before me.
You did succeed in capturing a warm and vivacious personality in your portrait.
Technically, it is a very interesting challenge, with the back light. And watercolor, it is said, is a very difficult medium. I like your painting, even if it is a scosh overworked. Watercolor will punish you when you work it too much, an unavoidable tendency when painting someone you love.
I would suggest that when you paint a lady you error on the side of making the eyes a tiny bit too large rather than a tiny bit too small. Perhaps the eyelashes could be seen to flap out to the left of the left eye a little. It doesn't hurt to do a little flattery. It has been my experience that if you slightly flatter the eyes, it prevents you from paying them slightly less tribute than they deserve.
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