Graph or grid structure

the head is placed 2/3 up the canvas. I changed my mind several times about the background and eventually used a ruler as a long arc,
the distance of the head + the length of the canvas to create the curved background lines the riding hat is gold leaf at a jaunty angle to accentuate the curvature of the background.
Here's what Teresa thinks of it
"The colour is all wrong for me,
"it should be a stronger colour I feel.
"Also there is too much colour
"going on in the face"
This highlights what would be a problem if it were a commercial painting. You are bound (within reason) to do what the customer wants and this ushers in some further problems in that people don't see themselfes as others do
this can be because they always see themselves in a mirror i.e in reverse .. and hardly anybodys face is symetric
and further there is the psycology of how they view themselves - so for example if they have the evil eye of a hardened trader or a psycotic stare, (not that they may be in any way like this) they probably dont want it in a picture.
As it happens Teresa isn't like this and the comments are fair enough but ive painted the picture not to please anyone except myself perhaps. In some cases i haven't even bothered to try and get that much of a likeness, as dubious victim Rob will testify, even though a lot of people instantly recognise him in even his most ghoulish disguises.