I started this still life in the summer at an awesome week-long painting class at Tyler School of Art. I brought it home and figured I might finish it...some day... 
I just heard about a show that felt like the right fit for this image - "'404' is an open call for work that yearns to escape the modern cult of technological fragmentation, and seeks to provide a cultural resetting experience by exploring creative solutions and works that espouse the pains of modern technological evolution that increasingly compete for our attention."
I have no idea if this piece actually responds to the call or if I'm just rushing to finish it up and submit the $30 fee to be rejected. BUT, I figured it was worth a shot and it has be working on finishing this piece. This technique intrigues me so much, layers and layers of glazes, but I don't fully understand the rules of the mixtures and have  great fear that this entire image is going to fall off the board in ten years of less...

In a moment of impulsivity, I decided to take a portrait painting class at a local (Philly) atelier style art school. I don't fully understand the program; it isn't a college and you earn a certificate after years of study... one person in my class, a "level four student", referred to it as a cult...

Portraits are not my thing - and they are not easy. The starting point for each pose is a grasaille. The ten week course is broken into four portraits - 1 week pose, 2 week pose, 3 week pose and 4 week pose. I missed week three. What I am sharing is really 3 different one week poses. 

For several months, a very large canvas has been sitting on my easel. The 30x40" canvas was meant to serve as a break from the lunch project but has turned into a road block in the way of lunch progress. 
The image is based on a photo I took while visiting India in 2012. While touring a historic palace, I saw these two beautifully dressed women sitting on a window ledge. I took the photo from behind, just as the woman on the right was turning around. She was not happy with my photo. Apparently, some women in India get dressed in their fine clothes and sit at tourist locations waiting for people to take photos - they charge for the photo. I did not realize or understand this custom and took the photo with out permission or payment...
I decided to post this to hold myself accountable for its unfinished state.