Mimi Torchia Boothby

So recently, the teenager in me has been reborn, so I decided to paint like one. When I was a teen, I drew a lot of pictures like this one. I had a set of pastels, which I used to express myself. I drew tragic figures, lots of hugging and maybe even kissing.. Think Romeo and Juliet. As a kid I already knew that love could be tragic.
Now in my 60’s I see love in a much better way. Here’s to love.

In between portraits, I still need to paint, so I paint a lot of postcards.
This one, which is a deliberate attempt at using more muted colors, already has a stamp on it.

One of the hardest things to do in portraiture is to catch the essence of a person. Features are bad enough, but to actually catch personality is the trick that everyone who ever painted a portrait is wanting to do.
I have been very fortunate in my life to know people of all ages, and it pleases me that Alexander is in my acquaintance. He positively radiates joy and has an unflappable attitude. I present to you my take on his face.

Tiger, the mighty hunter, the largest cat in the world, you need to look out. You need to use your wits to stay alive. You always have, but now it’s even more important, with threats coming from every direction by humans who are overrunning your habitat.
You are one of the most beautiful animals that creator ever thought up. A world without you is unthinkable.
This tiger is for sale, and all proceeds will go directly to helping other tigers.
This painting measures 11″ x 14″ and it is for sale for $200.00

On a roll after painting Theresa yesterday, I painted another face. I was fortunate to have gotten the reference photo, taken in natural light, which is the most important consideration for a painted portrait. The smile is one of the most ubiquitous facial poses we see, but it is the hardest to paint. Smiles are the result of many different muscles contracting, if you don’t do a smile right, it looks like a grimace, not a desired effect. The next challenge in this painting is that I had just painted a young mother, in the bloom of life. Even though she and my subject here have very close to the same skin color, I could not use the same colors on his face, they would look unnatural. I am pleased with the smile and the colors, I need another subject now!