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A little history: When I see the beautiful ballerina paintings of Degas and other artists I feel ballerina subject envy. (Probably not listed in the annals of psychiatry journals yet.). I painted my first ballerina artwork of my first granddaughter when she was four years old and it is still one of her mother's favorite paintings (See the painting below). However, when I painted my granddaughter, I was just beginning my oil painting journey, so I was excited when I had the chance to do a portrait of an adult ballerina last month.

Composition Problem: The model for this artwork was a diminutive ballet dancer with stunning red hair and bright blue eyes. I painted this portrait from 2 sittings and later from photographs. I wanted her delicate beauty to show and I loved where the light fell on her face showing the translucency of her skin. However, beautiful colors and brush strokes can't make up for an off-balance composition and as I continued my work on the painting at home, I realized her hands were in the wrong position and the painting would look unbalanced.

The Solution: When I returned to the studio, one of my fellow artists (a young woman who is a friend of the model and who also models for us) agreed to pose for some more photos so I could rearrange the hands. We laughed and said this was a joint portrait of two people merged into one. I think it worked and I'm pretty happy with this painting. Now I just hope I get the chance to paint a full-length figurative painting of a ballerina--of the adult variety.