Bathing Beauty

What a joy it is for the artist to capture a moment in time, to convey to the viewer through dabs of paint using color and value, the essence of the subject - that is the satisfaction found in painting. The subject is secondary to the impression the artist has and strives to convey. This piece appealed to me on so many levels - the beautiful light across the water, the expressive attitude of the woman, the voluptuous figure, her obvious hesitation and that glorious pink bathing cap. As Robert Henri stated, " It is more the gesture of the feature than the feature itself which interests and pleases us. The feature is the outside, the gesture manifests the inner life. "