Grandchild Maria

[Bob Botha]

I have had a request to paint my grandchild Maria, but since she lives in Tennessee, I was not able to take reference photos myself, so after some coaching by phone and e-mail , my son took a batch of photos and sent them to me. As I sifted through them, this one jumped out at me! I know it has some challenging areas, like the colors and values in the shadow side of the face and the large solid mass of hair, but I really like the composition and think it's worth giving it a try. Before starting, I would appreciate any comments about the composition, problem areas or anything I should be aware of. Thanks so much.