Linda Mahoney Art

"Painting my Face" 10x14 Colored Pencil The idea for this painting has been percolating for several years. I wonder if artists are better at applying their makeup or not. And what if you could just repaint the parts that you didn't like? Then again, that could be a disaster. For a long time I thought I should get a model for this design. I pondered how I might set it up - with the model's face reflected in a mirror, or the model facing the viewer with a mirror in her hand, or... I finally just used the digital camera with the timer setting. I don't particularly like doing self-portraits, but the model is always handy and the fee is affordable.

Entering juried competitions is a tricky thing. After all, the selections are purely the preference of the person(s) viewing the artwork. The art juror brings to the table their own personal likes and dislikes. No matter how hard you try to be objective, if you really don't like something, it's bound to play into your choices. For some reason I can't explain, I recoiled at the sight of tattoos as a child. I have worked hard to overcome that as they have become more mainstream, but the point is, I have to work at it. Given the choice between a natural beauty and an artificially adorned one, I would tend to gravitate to the former. That is a bias that I have and the point is, most everyone has predilections they consciously or subconsciously carry with them. The judges for art events bring their own inclinations - consciously or not - to their judgments. I like all different kinds of art, but may not be able to appreciate certain types to the degree someone else might. In ad...