Oil, canvas...same sitter as Saint No. 33. She has irresistibly paintable features.

I guess this is basically a study, yet I worked it till a completion that kinda goes beyond what I would consider a true "study". What I was doing was playing with my fields of black. Trying to work into them without losing the heavier chiaroscuro effect, but getting rid of that student "This is shadow, let's just paint black and lose form" kinda trap. I wanted to keep the volume of the subject. You know what I mean.

I was also playing with brush work. Using a heavier impasto surface as the underpainting (mostly in the hair).

But, because I can't focus a camera, and both of the things that I was doing don't photograph well. This post becomes kinda stupid.

I don't care what anybody says... You can't photograph an oil painting and have it be anything more than a photograph. All of the depth, all of the texture, all of the "life"...GONE.