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Now, tell me true- doesn't it just tweak at your inner Pre-Raphaelite to look upon an Orianna lily? 

 I've just about finished the Senso linen experiment involving my daughter and her cat- just a little to go on the hands.  I'm a lot happier than the subjects were, despite the fact that I've long hesitated to paint Savannah because she has such improbable eyes- always afraid they'd end up looking like something akin to a precious moments figurines'.  Anyhoo- I figured the cat would add a little balance, four-eyes as it were, besides, I needed something to give her a little compositional heft. (I'm doing her brother next, to hang in the same space, and he's 6'4") Mass was needed, and this not quite tiny cat  with her mashed fur did the trick. 

Just a quick note- Baby's done.  Didn't want to go much further with her- she had such a delicate, feminine head that more work would have just been overwork.  Kim and Eddie- hope you like her; she'll be ready for pick-up on Thursday!

Happy Birthday, Eddie!

 Here's the progress report on my first Senso clear primed linen portrait- I'm in the home stretch (no pun intended) Just a little bit further to push, mostly in the lowest quadrant.  I've have decided just to leave the background be the linen itself- I really like everything about it, the color, the texture, the weight.

 I picked up some Senso clear primed linen recently, and have begun experimenting with it.  It's easy to handle- stretches without any fuss, and I'll only have a little bit of retensioning to do.  It's pretty heavy weight, with a not quite even texture, good tooth without too much slub.  The color is a wonderful starting point, and allows for the possibility of not finishing out to the edges.

    Here's a peak at some little pink  morsels- seems like pink always follows green for me. (see previous post)   They are part of a kitchen commission, tile sized, and will hang with these oysters.

or painting it, either.  What can I say- a funny thing happened on the way to the recycling.   I don't know about anybody else, but green gives me more fits than anything else.  Maybe because so many green things are transparent or translucent, or refuse to sit still.  My sense is that if green doesn't look alive, it doesn't work- I recall watching birch trees crackling in the sun one day and I was mesmerized, realizing the only way to paint them would be to paint the tremble and the dance.  So it goes for the rest of the greens as well, the birches just brought it home with emphasis, tho' not the same impossible imperiousness of the burgeoning greens of May, all underscored with orange.    Someday I'll manage to wrestle my sense of it unto a canvas, but in the meantime, this is good muscle building.