Notes on First Day in Ilium

Made in 2025 during the PADASOR spring semester in the course “The Portrait from Life: Canvas on Wood and Experiments with Resins” and the model was my Helen from Greece, Effie V.  She sat for 14 sessions, with each sitting lasting about two and a half hours.

It took me many of those sessions to get the general shape of the head right.  And, as often happens, there were last-minute modifications that seem to appease a necessary need for improvisation: her hair was pulled up, and the style of her shirt top was changed with a couple of brushmarks.

Another overriding objective was to surround her with a light background.  For a long time it didn’t seem to work, so I was surprised when it finally did.

Final thought: terre verte.