Half Truth

13x18

Hi everyone..couldn't resist sharing this work which I did this afternoon.Its a kind of painting that emerges on its own. I had started with a thought that 'it could be a face'.Then my hands took over. Initially I used charcoal on gray paper.Pastels were added later.I kind of like this effect.Gives the face two dimensions.What do you think?

It is one of the paintings that left me with a happy feeling :)

Portrait of a Teenager

Soft Pastels on pastel mat

35x50 cm

Some of you may recognize him- this is my son who agreed to let me take his picture after much cajoling ( I had to pay him ,actually, for the 'photo session'!) Well I thinks it was worth the effort, as this portrait has turned out nicely ( I will still wait for his verdict when he comes home from school!).

As he sat, the sunlight came through the full window and  fell on one side of his face.I wanted to capture not only that light, but the shadow area too, that somehow 'glows' when you are sitting in direct sunlight. I would love to hear what do you think of this effort.

Pastel mat is now my favorite support as it does not need blending.I did not blend at all.For smooth and fine details I used pastel pencils.They work beautifully on this surface.

My Group show opened last evening, with a nice little gathering.I seem to be one of the very few portrait artists here- mostly its landscape or animals painters in our Art Club.Here are a few pics: