New Painting: Self Portrait

Self Portrait, 2010, oil on linen, 10 x 8 inches

This is a more polished version of the first self portrait of August 24. The first take seemed funny, not to mention the color was a bit dull. I think that it was a good painting given the fact it was a two hour study, but I wanted to take it further and capture my likeness better. Maybe I was inspired by Holbein's portraits, by their delicate beauty and liveliness. I recently bought a book of his work and I have been looking at it from time to time. He had a touch like no other, and his use of color was rich and bold. A bold background is what I was after, something to make this portrait modern while at the same time linking it to the past. Is this a masterpiece? I certainly think not, but I'm very happy with the result and with what I learned.