“Reflection”

"Reflection", pastel portrait

Today I’ve been cleaning up in the studio and trying to change my mindset from landscapes to portraits. That may seem odd, but they are two distinctly different mindsets for me. I seldom can do a satisfying portrait when my mind is thinking ‘landscape’, and vice versus.

While organizing my studio storage room I came across this older piece and was pleased to discover that I still love it. I remember doing this from photos I took in a figure drawing studio of a live model. She looked so wistful sitting there – as if she’s reflecting on yet-to-be-fulfilled dreams and the uncertainty of looking into the future.

This was painted on pinkish gray paper using soft pastels. The paper shows through around the subject, but also on right side of the piece where the garment is roughly sketched in. I’ve always liked the reflected cool light on her forhead and face, in contrast to the warm light hitting her from the side.

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