For years I've heard the feedback to paint smaller. The truly lovely NY gallerist who participates in The Hamptons Art Fair wanted smaller portrait paintings. To be fair, he pointed to a Rembrandt etching on the wall that was about 4" and said "that size" when I asked him how much smaller. No, I didn't laugh, I was too shocked...he wasn't joking. At the time I thought it was his way of letting me down easy, not representing me. But, he really meant it I found out. He called me some years later to see what I was up to.

In an effort to explore fully the advice from him and other galleries, I've embarked on some smaller portrait paintings. I'm out of practice. I'm rusty. This is the first. The weather is cold, the paint is thicker as a result and it's just not as runny as the other portraits. Even so, I'm pleased with the results. I like the orange and red. and greens. This painting is 40 x 22" about one fourth the size of my other work, or even a little smaller than that.

Tomorrow when I paint, I'll thin the paints a little bit more and focus on the cast shadows a bit more.

The mood of this painting appeals to me.