Away matches

[Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco]

During my holidays in Rome I have tackled, not without difficulty, two commissions.
I really worked in non ideal conditions, at least for the portrait of the lady. My main problem was time. We had three sessions together at her place, and I also worked from a photo, but I only had five days all in all. I couldn't bring the canvas back to London so I had to declare it finished there and then.

Not that five days is not enough for the way I paint, it's just that I need more time in between them to assess what I am doing and just think !
The lady is over eighty and happy to be, she wanted the painting to show her age, but I still tried to soften the wrinkles a bit, I also tried to keep it "apricoty", I thought it would help.
She wanted me to lenghten her neck a little ( she then complained that she looks taller ... grr).
I am quite pleased with the result but I regret not working a bit more. I would like to get the painting back next time I go there to see if I can improve it.

The portrait sketch of the girl was much easier, she came twice and sat very still.
It is the second time I work o girls this age and I found they both had quite a large jaw (both already very tall), maybe this is a time in their growth where proportions are still changing, anyway I tried to give her a more harmonious oval without loosing the likeness.

These works were a bit of an experiment, I mean working away from my uterine studio, under the scrutiny of other eyes. I feel I still have way to go in aquiring the confidence and work at my best in these conditions, but if one doesn't start...
Ilaria