L'écolière (the student)

L'écolière 16 x 20 - Oil on canvas - 2007

A painting inspired from a school picture of my then 9-year-old daughter Geneviève. Although this was only the second painting I did, I still find I am highly critical of this piece. The shadows were not well defined in the photograph I used which unfortunately left me to struggle with the overall composition at that level. Values are still something I find very difficult. The inspiration was greater I suppose than common sense at that particular point in time.  My daughter was going through something very difficult at the time. In the picture, there was something about the way she exhibited peace if only for that moment. That represented a certain sense of relief which at the time meant the world to me.