Enigmatic Smile, 2020
Oil on canvas
50 x 40
I was enticed to do this portrait of Khun Namooy after a lively conversation with her about art and her connection with the work of her husband who is a professional landscape photographer in Thailand. My original plan was to paint the subject a la prima in the studio but after several conversations we agreed to work from a photo she supplied. A poor decision on my part. The photo lacked the qualities needed to bring a portrait to life. To capture the feel of the person in an ideal form it took several weeks of building and tearing down the image to where I could begin adding color to my grisaille underpainting. Upon sharing the finished portrait with the subject she immediately began to weep… not because it was bad painting but because the work evoked deep-seated memories of herself and her deceased mother. At that moment I realized my work was done and that I had achieved what many artists aspire to -- true creative engagement.