[Will Enns]

Enzie,

Thank you for taking the time to respond. Your suggestions are good, every one.

I've repainted the entire picture; whether it is an improvement, no one around here is certain, but my wife insisted on framing this one, much to my surprise.

I was quite interested in your comment about a stern look, found it surprising, and am uncertain what it means. I thought the girl was about as stern as the Mona Lisa (although the resemblence ends there.)

As for the story, it is simple, but the clues are subtle. There is a window with relief castings of fierce guards on either side of it, and a casting of a defenceless child in between at the bottom. It seems reasonable to me that the child looking out might be an older iteration of the center casting, and that the guards were diligent in thier duty.

OK, so it's not much of a story, but it's the best I can come up with on short notice.

Perhaps you're right that this isn't ideal as a portrait since it started out as a picture of a window, and I added the girl for the human interest element.

Thanks again for your response.

(As a minor matter of interest, I drew the ovals that form the window freehand without any devices, tricks, or techniques. I'm proud of that, but only a little, since it is only a matter of minor interest.)