Leaving the shore of childhood, portrait of a girl

Not yet a woman, no more a child. I wanted to do a portrait of my granddaughter at that turning point.
I decided to paint a portrait, not a direct representation of her, the portrait of a somehow generic near fifteen blond girl but with her very specific smile. So that the smile would be the main feature of the painting.
I gave it a Modigliani touch. I first began with a very strong background (palms). That background did not work. After having spent hours painting it, I had to erased it and do as Modigliani or Alex Katz, use a very neutral background. But is still was not fully satisfying. I reworked the background to give it more substance. I did so much work on it that it is impossible to go further without damage.

On sale at saatchi art