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David,
I have to paintt the brother and sister separately, and I think this little guy is too young to hold a canvas on his own.
It is very rare to see successful portraits of children around one year old. Many painters have painted their own babies, even newborns, but when it is your own child there are other things involved, feelings of tenderness and wonder. This commission involves a real portrait, that says something about the person and their relationship with me, and I can't do this with someone that does not hold my gaze.
I don't know these children at all, besides they really gave me a hard time as I took the photos. The next day I went there to sketch and they were a little easier but still quite confrontational. This will show in the paintings, I can't help it.
To be honest I was not particularly inspired by them, but this is the truth of the profession. I actually put off starting the bigger paintings because I still have not got a clear idea of how to make them interesting for me to paint.
In the case of this little painting I thought that the speed and freshness could be what ultimately appealed to a viewer. I tried to steal the scene to the boy with my painting.
It took me time to understand that I should not accept all the commissions blindly, but think carefully about the possible outcome. I am now only working toward building a solid portfolio, and I don't want to spend a long time on something I wouldn't want to show.
So there you are, trust me this is a good advice
Ilaria
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