The Good Wife: A portrait at heart

(C) 2015 Dale DiMauro

Recently, I started this watercolor of my wife. Clearly there is much to be done, but I am excited about the progress I have made. I like pictures which portray people with a background providing some context to their environment, skills or activities. Other people including experts may not consider this a portrait as it includes more than a face or bust.

When we were at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. last month, we joined a tour directing us through the presidential portraits which emphasized the importance of portrait painters mastering the face and hands. I do not want to imply in any way that I mastered any of those subjects but it is an interesting point to consider when you go to a museum and look at what is on the walls. Recently, I have heightened interest in the sculptural busts you see at art museums such as at the Portrait Gallery where you can view an individual's head from all kinds of angles other than the direction in which they are positioned. The shadows cast from the head in the differing light sources can be quite intriguing.

The qualities I like about this watercolor are the warmth of sunlight falling on my wife's face and hands creating interesting patterns of sun and shade. I always like depth or the suggestion of it in a picture whether through perspective, mood and in this case, the feel of temperature. In addition, I particularly like the L-shaped composition which her body creates against the background.