Portrait

This piece uses a very bright palette of colors but the balance between all the varying hues is artful and prevents any impression of garishness. The colors are soft and painterly yet manage to preserve a sense of light and shadow. The look is stylized, giving it a sense of hyper-reality. The focal points, the subject's eyes are rendered in exquisite detail. The overall impression is very impressive.

I'm left wanting only just a little in two minor areas. The fleur-de-lis motifs are trapped in a parallel plane with the viewer. They don't move and flow with the scarf. I also feel I want just a little more texture in the eyebrows, not much, just subtle addition of texture.

Overall, though, I am highly impressed and have virtually nothing to complain about. Very beautiful work.