Jay, Donald, Gordy, Ngai, Matt, Tony, and Jason: Thank you for the kind words and compliments.
Matt: No it is not easy to paint. It is very deceptive, it looks easy, but it requires a different painting style than what is used on smaller scales. I found that this was almost like painting a real picture in that I had to use a lot of glazes and placing of highlights and shadows became more important. You really have to study the figure. There are several famous portraits of George Washington that help when doing the face and uniform.
Jason/Ngai: The sculpting of both cheeks was probably a real challenge for Matt when he did this. With George turning his head slightly to the side, that created a difference in the sides. Couple that with the fact that Matt had to push out the area between the bottom of the nose and the chin (because George wore crude dentures that puffed out that area of the face) more than normal and still maintain a balance that looks pleasing to the viewer, some artistic license had to be given. In this case you don't look at the left side initially; you are drawn to the right, that’s the high impact side.
Jason: I always have a struggle with each bust trying to figure out how high to set the figure off the base. I notice that when the figure is closer to the base it makes the base appear as an extension of the figure, the eye is drawn to the whole package at once, the base integrates with the bust and the eye travels completely from bust to base. The higher the figure the more the figure stands alone with the base as a secondary viewing area that provides the viewer with info via the name plate. Plus the size of the base to the figure has to be taken into account. I use a different size and style each time. A continual struggle.
