[Tom Edgerton]

Mike, I can empathize. The hardest commission I ever had was a little boy and BOTH of his parents were orthodontists. They not only wanted him as he was, but, I think at least subconsciously, wanted him as he would be when they were done correcting his smile. I ended up having to try and read their minds, an exercise in diminishing returns.

Rochelle is right that a lot of my portraits show some teeth. Partly because, I think, I'm comfortable painting them, and partly because my interaction with and attitude toward the sitters creates that kind of feeling. I do worry sometimes that I end up liking the subjects TOO much, and that it skews the work, especially in the portraits of children.

As regards the old masters, who can say what actually was going on? The necessity for subjects to sit for long periods, in lieu of photographic sessions, was the main factor, I believe. However I still come down on the position that if your subjects smile a lot - are very extroverted, outward and warm - that's how you should portray them. I'll leave it to the work of Frans Hals, one of my heroes, to make my point.

Happy painting (no pun intended)!