I painted this portrait as a gift for our best friends here in London. He sneaked to my house on Sunday afternoon and sat for me for one and a half hour after lunch and forty more minutes around six o'clock.
I must say that it is the first time that a paint a portrait in my tiny sudio (I normally go on location) and found it much easier and relaxing. It's so nice when the model leaves and you can work a little longer with the image still in your eyes.
I am very satisfied with this work because I really did "my thing", and it is much more akeen to my still life paintings and to what I do in art class than to my commissioned work.
I included marks drawn with a rigger and I left canvas areas visible, and I just stopped when I thought I had said enough.
14"x16" oil on linen, a larger image
here
Ilaria
PS This napoleonic hair style appearantly is the cool one to have, couldn't help reproducing it as it is.