Gary

I did this portrait of my neighbor as a gift to him for helping me put together my model stand. I told him since he was nice enough to take the time to help me that he would be my first model to jump up on it and get painted. I managed to get him to sit for me for about 2-1/2 hours including breaks. I didn't really think I could ask him to sit for much longer, but that was long enough to get some good color down and capture a decent likeness. I finished it off from some photos I took, putting in probably another 3-4 hours, and will be presenting it to him once it dries. 
Here's hoping he likes it.

Am I happy with this painting? I think, mostly yes. It is interesting though. Knowing that this was something that I was doing for someone specifically it created a bit of internal pressure. I tended to "tighten up" when my desire is to paint looser, with a bit more of a bravura technique. I think in most of my Friday paintings I manage to keep the loose thing going. But those would probably fall into the category of practice, intended for no particular person. I think that's why my ultimate, or dream goal is not to paint commissioned portraits (although I probably wouldn't turn too many down), but rather I envision doing paintings that have greater meaning for me that happen to include people as subjects. A lot of painters come to mind. Just go down my list of painters I like on my sidebar and you'll know what I mean.

Gary

Oil on Canvas Panel - 12 x 16