A well drafted portrait usually includes a person’s face and hair, giving some indication of their age and attitude toward life, sometimes background and clothes showing time in history, place and economic station.
I wonder, can I paint another portrait of Alice, my best friend, without picturing her face? I could stack up her possessions, which would say something about her but not BE her. I could paint a time line of her life, or section off the canvas painting each with activities she’s pored her energy into. I could paint all of her but her head.
Another friend, Sandy, once told me, “Your picture shows how I feel inside.” nancymauerman.com