Cheap model (self portrait)

[Rob Sullivan]

Geez, what wonderful comments! Thanks, guys! This may be hard to believe, but I'm actually a little taken aback and embarrassed, since this is a portrait of me!

Chris is right - I do look a bit intense in this. Well, I was concentrating! We all have that bit of Narcissus in ourselves, so here we see me trying hard to fight it off and be totally objective. And since that objectivity is so very important in portrait/figure painting, I'm so very glad I did this; it was a good lesson.

That being said -- Patricia, I highly recommend giving it a shot. Get that mirror set up & go for it

I appreciate the comments re: palette, David. I've been feeling a little inadequate about it since there seems to be quite a disdain for cadmium use in flesh tones amongst some of the bigger fishies. I like to think I have some semblance of control.

Mike - don't worry: they're cumulus humulus, or fair-weather clouds. Although, if the barometer falls a couple tenths, they could become congestus. This answers Heidi's question; I'm sort of a geek about clouds. My recent landscape work is more about clouds than land. That's one of my paintings behind me in my avatar.

Also, Jimmie, Kim, Mary and Linda (favorite painting of mine, Linda? - High praise indeed!) - thank you so much! I will soon post some detail once I get over this techno-hurdle.