Daddy's Girl

[Janel Maples]

I love this too!!

And please answer Michele's question. : )

[Jimmie Arroyo]

Great job Terri, it's your best yet, until the next one.

[Terri Ficenec]

Thank you all so much! I'm flattered and a little taken aback.

Thanks Michele, it's good to know I'm headed in the right direction! So many things all came together late last Spring and during the summer, I think:

First of all, this forum and all of the generous critiques... not just of my own work, but reading through, following along with, the critiques of other artists as well, and trying to generalize the concepts behind the suggestions, seeing the difference those suggestions made. Certain discussions had a lot of impact... in April, Garth Herrick's discussion of velaturas was a lightbulb moment; Everywhere, the emphasis on edge control... and understanding what this really meant by seeing it applied in critiques and finished works. Also, both you and Sharon Knettell really drove home the need to plan (color, composition, etc.) before even starting a painting rather than trying to fix bad (or no) planning once the painting is underway. Everyone insisting that I really should switch to oils... (what a difference from acrylics!!) Also, the inspiration of how much other artists here have also grown!

Attending Tim Tyler's workshop this summer, a real confidence booster. He asked at the beginning what we each wanted to 'get' out of it... my primary concerns at that time were a better understanding of composition/color issues, and being able to work with more confidence/speed.... before that it was taking me months to finish a painting. This 'Daddy's Girl' actual painting took 1 week start to finish. The gist of the feedback there being, (after the initial sketchin) 'paint each area as if that is that last time you'll touch it'.... believe it or not, I'd previously painted with the expectation that I'd be back to visit each area repeatedly before it was done. I still do go back in and rework areas -most often with scumbles, or velaturas...(thanks Garth), but every time am expecting, 'this is to finish it here'. I think the effect of the 'finish it now' approach is two-fold, the painting is not only done sooner, but it's stronger/more coherent (less tentative). As far as the color/compositional concerns, I can't get into all of that here, but obviously very important and tied in with the up-front planning. Having live feedback while painting really helped to tie in the importance of color subtleties to why a composition will work or not. So understanding these things a little better is a boost.

Third... discovering the ARC website and pouring over their on-line museum, especially Bouguereau (sp?) and other amazing painter's works, especially those where the skin looks so real and just trying to figure out why, and internalize that sense.... realizing how much is possible with paint and striving for that.

There's probably more, that's had an impact but that's what comes to mind right now.

Mary, the canvas is small, but they are cropped in so close that their heads are not all that little, her head is ~6" (I usually like to work with > 7"... but she was so little to begin with, it's really not that much smaller than life.)

Again, Thanks!!

[Leslie Ficcaglia]

Terri, I want to second everyone's comments. I always loved your work but this one is superb. The skin tones and color balance are wonderful. I'm going to copy your observations and think about them. Maybe I should bite the bullet and try a workshop, too. You seem to have gotten a tremendous amount out of Tim's.

How did the clients react?

[Sharon Knettell]

Terri,

That child is such an adorable mischeivious little munchkin!

Beautiful job. The Copley keeps coming closer and closer.

[Allan Rahbek]

Just beautyful! And a charming , modern composition.

Well done, Allan.

[Cindy Procious]

Absolutely wonderful!

I just went to your website. I'll tell you what someone told me - Time to raise your prices...

[Michele Rushworth]

Thanks, Terri, for outlining what you felt contributed to your "great leap forward".

Obviously some strong level of individual determination and insight has helped you synthesize the various sources of information you mentioned, and then actually apply it in a cohesive and powerful way to your work.

Many artists have access to the same information but then they progress little, or not at all. Great work!

[Linda Brandon]

Terri, this is a wonderful, charming painting and I agree with what everyone else has said. You've got terrific control of your color and edgework and the setup and composition are very engaging. And thanks for sharing specifically the steps you took to accellerate your painting path. Really well done!

[Terri Ficenec]

Leslie, thanks! The clients (little girl's grandparents) are out-of-state 'snow-birds' and currently without internet access, so they haven't seen it yet... (Mike, I think this will ultimately end up in your new neck of the woods down in the Sarasota area--but it may be a while before it gets there).

Sharon, you're right, she was adorable and sweet, an easy kid to be around and comfortable/natural in front of the camera. Thanks!

Allan, Cindy, Linda & Michele... thanks! It's so reassuring to get such positive feedback. This was smaller and darker overall than I'm used to working, so I was a bit apprehensive about whether it would meet the mark. Am feeling much better about it now!

Michele, I should also add that somewhere you commented to someone (I don't remember what thread) about at some point as a painting nears completion needing to start looking for what worked in the painting rather than just dutifully following the reference (not sure how you worded it, but that was the gist...). This is something I've also taken to heart.