[Janel Maples]

Sharon Knettell, you cost me a lot of money by making me feel guilty for not taking the time to paint from life, but after all is said and done.........THANK YOU, because I definitely got more out of this exercise than what my out of pocket expenses were.

See, I was one of those artists who thought I had valid reasons why I didn't paint from life but Sharon's comments, scolding me ( I took them personally) for making excuses and cheating myself, really got to me so I decided to hire a model and make it happen.
And believe me I paid dearly for this portrait because I am slow.

But I really learned a lot by doing it this way. My only other experience with painting from life came from workshops and, while I found them extremely valuable, I was happy to have the model entirely to myself. I also found my concentration level was higher, possibly because I was alone with my model in my studio and not distracted.

Anyway, this is Erin. 20 x 24 oil on canvas painted entirely from life. And what a treat that was.

Thanks for looking and any comments are welcome.