Shoshana was a great model. She came with a great scarf that I wanted to highlight in her portrait. But more than that, I told her that I love noses and I wanted to paint her in a slight profile. She’s so cool that she obliged me and I hate to pick favorites but this is one of my very favorite paintings from this project.
The thing I will always remember about talking with her is I was complaining a bit about how some people did just not want to seem to get painted. She observed, and I tend to agree, that some people may not feel worthy to sit for, or get, a portrait. I think she has something there. But I disagree with those who think they are not good enough to get painted. One of the strong themes I started out with in this project was the principle that everyone has something beautiful about them. And I believe that now ever more than before.