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Difficult Clients?
I am working on a very complex portrait of two people and a dog, with a lot of "props" included and a lake scene in the background. It is almost finished. I just sent the url with the latest work on the painting to the clients, so when I saw them yesterday at a gathering I asked the woman what she thought. She looked uncomfortable and said that there was something about the rendition of her that wasn't quite right, and perhaps it just didn't fit her own image of herself. Prior to that she had asked me whether I could make her face look less full, and I saw that I had exaggerated the fullness slightly anyway so I was able to do that easily. Otherwise I got the impression that all was well as we moved through the process. In fact it was her husband, who has a very distinctive face, that I struggled over; she seemed to come easily. The woman is my daughter-in-law's physician, and she thinks it looks exactly like her - and so do I.
When I spoke to her yesterday I invited her to come to the studio and view the actual painting and then to try to tell me what she feels needs to be changed. I don't want a dissatisfied client, especially one so local, but I don't want to lose all the work I put into the painting, either, and just reap a percentage of what the cost should be for my time.
I'm sure others have dealt with similar situations - it may be just the disconnect between one's view of oneself and what appears on the canvas. She and her husband selected the reference photos and I think, and so do others, that I've captured the appearance and expressions from the photos, supplemented with my knowledge of her, exactly. What to do if she doesn't see it that way and can't articulate any (reasonable) changes that would make her happier?
Leslie
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