Now, I ask myself why...and why not? Perhaps it's that old demon Fear; the fear that I will not create a likeness that appeals to the person I'm painting. On the other hand, I tell myself, there have been great artists (Alice Neel for one) who painted portraits that were not at all flattering but captured an essence of character or relationship that was true and compelling nevertheless. 

So that begs the question, if I were to paint portraits, what would be my objective? To paint flattering likenesses commissioned by the models (or their family or business), or to paint what I sense and feel about the model, which might not be a flattering likeness?

And, of course, this raises the much bigger question about why I paint. I've already determined that I enjoy the ego boost that comes from creating art that sells. (And good portrait painters can make a very good living.) On the other hand, I have no desire to paint formulaic "sofa paintings," in the current interior design color trends. Making these creative decisions is a lot like trying on clothes. Whatever I choose makes a statement about who I am.  One outfit may look nice in the mirror, but it's not really me.  

Where portraits will fit into the mix remains to be seen.