At our next session, I posed Rita looking straight ahead.  I thought that would be contemporary, as well as more fun for both of us.  We could see each other, converse more easily, and I could watch her sparkling eyes as I painted.  I thought it also might help her hold a little grin ~~ I knew I’d be grinning at her the whole time and grins are infectious.

Rita, first session in oils on linen.

Here’s how the painting looked at the end of the first session with oils.  My main goals were to situate her on the canvas, get an approximation of her bright shirt, rough out the face contours, and depict her silver hair in luscious pale colors.