Disappointment under pressure

[Marcus Lim]

Originally Posted by Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco

Was this the right atttitude or should I give up on it and put it behind me?

Ilaria,
I guess the main angle i'd like to share on is that of attitudes - not about facing clients but more about the mindset when working with portraits.
Debra pointed something really important here, that you're painting someone you know; a person whom you care for. I had the same experience with working on a portrait of a close friend recently, and more often than once, i was trapped in that naggy emotion i wasn't doing good enough.

I realised later that the additional pressure working on our loved one's portraits, took away much of our logical side of being an artist. This stress, crippled our ability to judge objectively and do our work as if they were our ordinary clients.

I decided i can't work with this "emotional lump" in my head, and i walked away from it for a couple of days. I came back to it, renewed my oath to do it objectively, and finally was able to complete the portrait within the day i got back at it.

So the lesson of the day is: do your portrait like every other portrait done, friend or family. Hope this experience of mine will help you out.

[Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco]

Many thanks to all of you, I especially found, in these posts, the WORDS to explain to my friend that I am not happy with my work and I want to do something about it.
The forum is a harsh and sympathetic jury, which is the best combination to receive good advice.
It is now time for me to lift that phone...
Ilaria

[Mary Jane Ansell]

Hi Ilaria

Good luck and good for you for determining to get the portrait back and re-work it.

I so agree its so important to avoid having a nagging knowledge you have put a "bad" work out there, for your own peace of mind and for the fact that (if it really is) a bad piece then it sits there being bad publicity for you for a very long time!

Actually I wanted to say that a similar thing happened to me with a 4 year old sitter a couple of years ago, he sat (hating to sit still of course) for 3 hours everyweek for 6 weeks, me causing upheaval in the families beautiful home - and at the end of it all I knew I hadn't got a decent painting - all his life had gone, his mannerism and posture had become leaden and stilted and I hated it.

I was so frustrated that it hadn't worked and so torn about how to deal with this "failure" especially as I had taken so much of the families time and patience and they were calling for the piece to be finished already!!

But in the end I came clean (after avoiding the phone a couple of times!!) admitted I wasnt happy and that I knew I could give them the piece as it was but that it wouldn't be the best I could do for them.

I asked for the little boy to come to my studio this time and I tried a completely different pose and lighting set up, I went with my instinct about how I wanted to represent him, this time choosing a more intense focus, darker more dramatic, his pose was much more natural and typical of him and his clothing more personal. That resulting painting went very quickly indeed and the client and I agreed was far, far better as a result.

I hope it works out even better for you this time, I think there was a lot to admire about the first piece you posted here but I might say he is getting somewhat lost in amongst that big white shirt and embossed wall paper.

Very best wishes...
Mary Jane

[Cindy Procious]

Originally Posted by Mary Jane Ansell

I asked for the little boy to come to my studio this time and I tried a completely different pose and lighting set up, I went with my instinct about how I wanted to represent him, this time choosing a more intense focus, darker more dramatic, his pose was much more natural and typical of him and his clothing more personal. That resulting painting went very quickly indeed and the client and I agreed was far, far better as a result.

Mary Jane - is this the one?

http://www.maryjaneansell.co.uk/imag...0701182054.jpg

[Mary Jane Ansell]

LOL - Hi Cindy - yes that's the one!! ;-)

[Alexandra Tyng]

Ilaria,

I'd like to hear what exactly bothers you about the painting. Is is only the likeness? I think it's a remarkable painting, especially the paint handling and expressiveness in the face. Of course I have no way of seeing the problems with likeness, but it could be a subtle thing as you well know. In my opinion the background could use more spatial depth and less pattern.

I have lots of those "misfits" hanging on satisfied clients' walls. The problem is, I think, that we are our own worst critics. We're painting to solve problems, and we are excruciatingly aware when we have not solved a problem. On a few occasions I've asked the client if I could start over. Only once has a client ever doubted my ability because I took a long time to get the right pose or made a false start. I don't think we should be the least hesitant about telling the client we want to work more on a portrait or start over. We are artists, not machines.

The thing that disturbs me most is when the client can't see the beauty or total transcendence of a certain pose, and insists on another kind of portrait. I'm doing a commission right now with this problem. I'll put my all into it, but I'll always be thinking of what it could have been if the client had given me the artistic freedom to follow my vision.

It's also very frustrating to be in your position, to be given the freedom, and a great subject, and not be able to get the very thing you are aiming for. In your case I would encourage you not to give up. You might be in a period of artistic growth right now. Sometimes these things happen more fequently during those times. I like the idea of taking a photo and trying to pinpoint the likeness problem, and of doing something radical with the part that displeases you. It has so much potential.Good luck with this, Ilaria!

[Ilaria Rosselli Del Turco]

Thanks for sharing your experience Mary Jane, and Mischa for the encouragement.

I did call my friend today and told her I was not completely satisfied with the painting and that I really wanted a second chance to work with the boy.
She was puzzled as she is very happy with her painting, but still she respects my opinion and has promised me more sittings.
My idea is to paint maybe a slightly smaller work, a more confident one on both parts, I mean less embarassed subject and less anxious painter.

Alexandra, the issue is likeness, yes, but also something with the pose, that oversized shirt, you see the problem is that I don't know either!

I could not avoid thinking of this painting when I started and set the pose, the boys looks so similar... but I later started having doubts: I am no Cezanne!

I made him look a bit clumsy rather then meditative as I initially ment.
Also the light in their house was very dim and too dramatic, perhaps such a strong chiaroscuro is not the best choice for young people.

I am not very keen on reworking the old painting, I lost stamina because of the amount of time I spent on it without knowing exactly what I needed to do. The scraping and sanding has also quite exhausted the surface of the painting!
I am excited with my latest work, which I can't wait to post, and I believe it has restored some of my confidence; I am very motivated to set things straight with this boy now!
Ilaria