Beauty with a Veil I and II

Today's one of my last days to be in the studio before school starts. I spent yesterday looking through photographs I've taken over the last 10 years to find some to paint. I found one I'm very excited about. A couple of months ago I did a painting called Beauty with a Veil. It's of a 22 -year-old with a great body, alabaster breasts, slim, trim, perfectly proportioned. The picture I found yesterday is of another model who also used the tulle when I photographed her. Her body is completely different than the previous model's. She is heavy-set and luscious. Many people might say she's overweight. She has had to work to accept her body but has done the work and now loves it unconditionally. It shows in the photograph! I'm going to call it Beauty with a Veil II. I'm very excited to start work on it. My husband built me a 40"x60" canvas yesterday; I put three coats of gesso on it last night and today, so this afternoon I'll be able to begin drawing it out and perhaps even painting it. It feels so good to be so excited about a painting! Can't wait to start!

By the way, Beauty with a Veil, the first one, is in a nationally juried show that is opening in Fredericksburg, VA at the Creative Arts Center this Friday from 6-9.  Come join me there! Here's the link to the invite if you're interested: http://www.fccava.org/main_gal/9-09/postcard_Layers-NationalExhibit_9-09.pdf