Portrait of my daughter

Nathan Cremer · 12-10-2002, 12:31 PM

Here is a pastel I'm currently working on of my daughter. It was done on Canson Mi-tientes paper. Size is approx. 16" x 13". I have concerns with how the background reads.

Nathan Cremer · 12-11-2002, 12:40 PM

Here is a more accurate and sharper image. I also made a couple slight revisions to the background.

Nathan Cremer · 12-11-2002, 12:41 PM

Detail of the face.

Jeff Fuchs · 12-16-2002, 05:03 PM

I think your background is very nice. It's the foreground that's stealing the show. The green shirt seems out of place in your color scheme. The rest of the painting is done with a muted palette, which I love. I think what I'm trying to say, is that the majority of the painting was done in colors that appear in nature, whereas the shirt has more of a synthetic look. Not a bad color for a shirt in real life, but it doesn't want to be in that painting. The green wants to make a festive statement in an otherwise somber painting.

Couple that with your daughter's face being in shadow, and the shirt becomes the focal point of the picture. Your Yellow Dress portrait was a good example of color harmony.

Your handling of the materials seems to be really good. I like the chiariscuro effect, but I'd like to see more emphasis on the face.

Linda Ciallelo · 12-16-2002, 07:42 PM

I think this is a great "figurative" piece. I love all three of the characters in this drama. I would not think of this as a "portrait" but as a contemporary figurative painting with "depth". We don't need to know who the child is in order for it to be interesting. It seems like more of a comment on family life or childhood, or life in general. I really like it!

I like the composition and the way you handled the man in the background and the doll, and the dramatic lighting. The focal point is the expression on the child's face. It certainly isn't the artificially sweetened look that we so often see on little girls' faces. This kid is for real.