Half-Hour Portrait

As a general rule, I find children a bit easier to paint than adults. I’m not exactly sure why, but I almost never encounter a kid who gives me that “oh my, this likeness might be hard to capture” moment.  Partly their faces are just less complicated—fewer experiences, both physical and emotional, have left their mark. But some of my favorite portraits are those that surprise me, that are a struggle to the end, when all of a sudden everything clicks, and I’m like, “Whoa, I love this one. How did THAT happen?”