Great to be back!

This is a painting I began a few months ago. I was in a portrait session, and had just completed my Hawaiian interpretation of this model. I knew I would finish rapidly that day, since I had worked on developing that piece in my studio, in addition to the time I had spent with it in class. So I had brought along a small canvas on which to sketch a little with paint from the same mode, and a similar vantage point. At that point I managed to accomplish a basic, but incomplete portrait of the model, working in acrylics.  Since then, it's a piece that's been sitting around, unfinished in my studio. Having just recovered now from a bout with bronchitis which seemed to hang on forever, finally back to teaching these last 3 days, I slowly began involving myself in this piece. I needed to build up the energy again to work at the easel, and to use by visual brain.

This is the acrylic/mixed media piece that emerged. Having sold the earlier painting of this model " in Hawaii", I guess I missed her in my studio. This painting was fun, because I had no preconceived notions about how it would end up. I let the piece and materials I had for collage dictate my direction. I handed it over to instinct and went with the flow, working and reworking areas, letting it forge it's own path.  I may still tweak a few strokes in the portrait itself. Otherwise, for me, it's a done deal.