Revisiting My "100 Faces in 100 Days" Project

Diane Scott (Face #99) next to the painting of her ... with me ... on April 9, 2011

On Monday, February 18, from 7 to 9pm, I'll be painting husband Randy (a demo, sort of) while discussing some of the stories, motivation, lessons learned from the crazy "100 Faces in 100 Days" project that brought a volunteer a day to my studio from January 1 to April 10 of 2011 to sit for an alla prima portrait. The presentation/demo will be a little like juggling (trying to paint and give a talk at the same time is almost impossible) -- it should remind me a lot of those very busy and challenging 100 days.

Reston Founder Bob Simon was Face #100 and only had 1 hour 15 minutes to sit

My demo and presentation will follow a short business meeting of the League of Reston Artists taking place at the Parkridge 5 Building, 10780 Parkridge Blvd. in Conference Room 400 on the 4th Floor, Reston, VA.  Non-League of Reston Artist Members are welcome to attend.

I know that some of my 100 Faces will be there. Maybe you'll hear about the project from their perspective.

You can "meet" my 100 Faces on my web site's 100 Faces in 100 Days page (or on this blog through entries from January 1 to April 10, 2011).  Each day during the project, I put up a post introducing the face of the day, what we talked about and learned from each other, funny and touching stuff. Excerpts from the blog post can be found by clicking on each of the faces on the web site.

Visitors at the May 2011 Exhibit in the Great Falls Library ... with some of my faces

Anyway, I hope you can come.










Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project
Email
Phone: 703.403.7435

Events and Exhibits

February 1 - February 28: "Flowers and Chocolate" Exhibit at the Artists'Atelier Gallery, 1144 Walker Road, Suite G, Great Falls, VA. Open hours: Wednesdays and Saturdays, noon - 4pm.

Monday, February 19, 7-9pm, Guest Speaker & Demonstrator, League of Reston Artists, "100 Faces in 100 Days" Project, General business meeting: 7:00 to 7:30pm, Demo/Talk, 7:30-9:00pm, 10780 Parkridge Blvd., (room to be announced -- check back here), Reston, VA 

Marie Drissel Is Face #97

"Marie Drissel: Face #97," oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Marie and I know each other as fellow students at the Art League. We took regular classes together from Rob Liberace ... year round. Our chance to really get to know each other came on art historical trips ... led by Rob ... to Italy (five years ago to Florence, three years ago to Venice and last year to Rome). We've shared a lot of meals, and Marie is always the most enthusiastic (of the group) about the food and everything else. Her speech is riddled with "Awesome!"s, "Outstanding!s" and "Out of this World!s" -- at both trattorias and museums.

With all that previous together time, I was surprised at how much I learned today about Marie. What a fun day! I think I learned about the six or seven "lives" that Marie has packed into her own so far.

One of my favorite topics was about Marie as a perpetual volunteer ... something she's been doing since a little girl, going off on her own to help at a center for crippled kids. She'd get so excited to go, being uplifted by seeing kids learning to walk again or making strides. Volunteerism has been a constant in her life. She's worked on community affairs, in politics, with rescue animals, and maybe, most notably, in helping to get the Columbia Heights Education Campus, a multicultural, Washington DC public middle and high school combined with community center built and brought to life. Students must learn a second language and are encouraged to learn more from the myriad of other languages native to the student body. The high school was ranked 37th in the nation's public schools by Newsweek in 2010. It's the only public school in DC to earn a place in the top 100 list.

Marie started taking art classes five years ago at the Art League ... and is thankful for what that organization has done for her life. She's happier now than ever. (Art can do that for you.)


Marie put in her sitting time as an excellent model ... but wanted to beat traffic home to DC. I wasn't satisfied with the painting I had at the end and worked more from a photo after she left. It's not perfect (that's not the point here anyway), but there's a bit of the devilish Marie in what I ended up with. And, I swear, I always see things in photos of the paintings that bug me that seem perfectly acceptable in the painting itself.

"The Brogue," oil, 30"h x 40"w, copyright Jill Banks 2007. That's Curtis in the upper left.

One more aside. Marie's husband Curtis made it into one of my all-time favorite paintings, "The Brogue." "The Brogue" was my postcard image for my 2008 solo show "Place Settings" at the Art League. (Curtis is sipping something and shown middle left.) During Marie's sitting, I heard about the start of Curtis and Marie's romance and the great proposal. Fun stories.

There are ton more tie-ins and tales ...



Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Here's a Repeat: You've Got to See the School! Register Now...

Wow! I went to see the classroom that I normally teach in ... now expanded to include my previous second downstairs studio at 1144 Walker Road, Great Falls, VA. Wow again! I'm so excited about teaching there in May. The expansion made all the difference. It gets great light. There's plenty of room. Such a difference. I'll try to take a photo of the classroom soon and post it here. Yea!

Get info about the classes I'm offering on the Classes page on my web site. Portrait Painting and Drawing. Still Life Painting in Oils. A workshop on "Mastering the Business of Art" on May 25 & 26, 6:30-9:30pm. Sign up. Be happy!!!

Sally Simms Sat for Face #96 Today

"Sally Simms: Face #96," oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Sally's a big fan and supporter of my artwork ... particularly of my portraits ... and my persistence in asking her to sit for my 100 Faces in 100 Days project finally brought her to my studio to sit. The idea of sitting in one spot for four hours made her nervous. Even though she gets to spend the time with me. Talking.

A benefit for today's sitting ... in addition to seeing her face developing on the canvas ... was my husband Randy helped her get her iPhone working again while I ate lunch and she snacked on half a pack of peanuts left over from a recent flight. (How does anyone have half a bag of peanuts left over?) She was glad to get reconnected with the world. I did notice that she's not quite as involved with her iPhone as Randy is his. Every time a question comes up when Randy and I are together, he's thoroughly researching the answer on the spot. Relentlessly. Sally ponders the answer with me instead.

Sally talked about a recent trip to Texas where she went shopping with a friend at a huge art/flea market/collectibles/antiques market. She's already doing her Christmas shopping! Her finds sound terrific. I can't imagine thinking that far ahead.

Sally with the painting. Pretty cool.

She also talked about how we just take our surroundings for granted... not paying attention to those goofy/ugly things in our house that really need to find their way someplace else. Sally had a lacy shower curtain in her master bath that had been there when she moved in (a good while ago). Suddenly she realized 1) it wasn't her, 2) it wasn't attractive, 3) she didn't need it, and 4) it had to go. Down it went ... and phew. Part of that Texas shopping trip put more of her individual tastes and ideas into that room.

Today went great, despite Sally's trepidations. Her reaction to the painting, "That's me." It really is.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Here's a Repeat: You've Got to See the School! Register Now...

Wow! I went to see the classroom that I normally teach in ... now expanded to include my previous second downstairs studio at 1144 Walker Road, Great Falls, VA. Wow again! I'm so excited about teaching there in May. The expansion made all the difference. It gets great light. There's plenty of room. Such a difference. I'll try to take a photo of the classroom soon and post it here. Yea!

Get info about the classes I'm offering on the Classes page on my web site. Portrait Painting and Drawing. Still Life Painting in Oils. A workshop on "Mastering the Business of Art" on May 25 & 26, 6:30-9:30pm.

Gwen White Is Face #95 in the 100 Faces In 100 Days Project

"Gwen White: Face #95," oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Getting very, very close... to the end of my 100 Faces in 100 Days Project. The last day will be April 10 (the 100th day of 2011). Then there will be exhibits (May and August and perhaps more) where I hope my 100 Faces -- the painted and real versions will gather.
 Fellow artist Gwen White sat for me today. Gwen and I know each other mainly because we've gone on art historical/drawing travel trips together that are led by Robert Liberace offered through the Art League. (We've been to Florence (2006), Venice (2008) and Rome (2010) together.)

Even though we've attended the same trips, we haven't spent much time talking one on one ... so this was a nice opportunity to learn more about each other.

Gwen's been going on regular workshops, travel trips and taking classes for a lot longer than me. Fun destinations and interesting adventures. She went on a watercolor workshop to the Cotswolds and brought photos to show Randy of me ... as this is one of our potential destinations ... soon. Looks pretty terrific. Who knows when Spring blossoms in England?

Gwen with part of the painting...

She mentioned a recurring theme with artists ... they worry that they are trying too many different media, too many different genres and styles. Gwen paints in watercolor, oil, mixed media and draws. While most of her work is classical, she also creates abstracts. She likes it all. I understand the issue. I love all sorts of subjects and working in different media. Focusing is tough and temporary. Going off on tangents seems constant. (But I have just painted 95 faces in a row...)

Tiredness set in today, I think, and it impaired my painting capabilities. I'm still evaluating Gwen's face ... even after working on it after she left. My photo of Gwen with a part of the painting is evidence the painting and she did not look like a pair. As usual with almost all my-not-so-sure days, Gwen was great. I just couldn't kick quite into gear. (I did skip coffee today ... )

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Here's a Repeat: You've Got to See the School! Register Now...

Wow! I went to see the classroom that I normally teach in ... now expanded to include my previous second downstairs studio at 1144 Walker Road, Great Falls, VA. Wow again! I'm so excited about teaching there in May. The expansion made all the difference. It gets great light. There's plenty of room. Such a difference. I'll try to take a photo of the classroom soon and post it here. Yea!

Get info about the classes I'm offering on the Classes page on my web site. Portrait Painting and Drawing. Still Life Painting in Oils. A workshop on "Mastering the Business of Art" on May 25 & 26, 6:30-9:30pm.

Stanley Miller Is Face #81 Today In My 100 Faces in 100 Days

"Stanley Miller: Face #81," oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Stanley Miller is one more alumni from my parent's condo building ... and one more of their recruits for my 100 Faces in 100 Days Project. Yesterday's sitter, Frank Sagstetter, brought Stanley to the door today and I've been given an interesting glimpse into this very close-knit community having conversations with the two of them. My dad, Stanley and Frank are three members (out of about 12) of the condo poker club. Stanley is named as the Poker Czar, in charge of figuring out who is going to be there and dividing the group into two tables as necessary, etc.  From what I gather, this is only a teeny-tiny bit about poker and a lot about bringing together this dynamic group of good-hearted, noisy, opinionated, caring men.

If you're just finding out about this project for the first time ... in January 1 I started painting a "face" a day with the commitment to paint 100 Faces in 100 Days. I've asked for volunteers -- people willing to come sit for around four hours for me -- and talk about themselves, learn about painting and the artist's life. My motivations for launching this project include improving as a painter (which you do when you paint 100 of anything day after day), involving more people in art (something I love doing), and learning how to handle painting from life with moving, talking regular folks. I've had plenty of volunteers -- young, old, different shapes and sizes -- and every day my new face arrives at my doorway and a whole new set of discoveries unfold. It's been fascinating. A happy, different, interesting adventure for the sitters as well. (They tell me that.) No one needs to stay still and it's just fun.

I keep the paintings. I now have 81 of them and two exhibits planned so far. The first will be in May at the Great Falls Library in Great Falls, VA. I'll plan a reception and I'm sure some other events. Then I'll be exhibiting my 100 Faces in 100 Days again in the Great Falls Foundation for the Arts (GFFFTA) Gallery at the Artists' Atelier (1144 Walker Road, Suite G, Great Falls, VA), the studio I share with 16 other artists. That exhibit will be in August.

 A pic of Stanley and me. I have green paint all over my face. Nice touch.

Back to Stanley... He was great company and liked his modeling gig. He wanted to make sure I had all the time I needed. He also told me (and my husband Randy) that I sound (talk, laugh) just like my mom and act a bit like my dad.

At this point in his life, Stanley is appreciating having a second chance to give back and care for his wife as wonderfully as she had cared for him throughout their marriage. His wife, Helen, has had medical and memory problems and needs Stanley's care. It's a blessing to him to be there with her, love and comfort her.

Stanley doesn't have a computer ... so will be seeing this only if someone else helps him to do so.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Carol Howard Is Face #78 in My 100 Faces Project

"Carol Howard: Face #78," oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Carol Howard, one of my students in Still Life class, agreed ... rather reluctantly ... to sit for my 100 Faces in 100 Days Project. While she's been involved with art forever-ish, Carol's relatively new to painting. She trained as a technical illustrator using airbrush, worked in clay, has an eye for art. She's passionate about painting and getting better and better. That pretty much sums up my whole class.

She arrived at my door with this beautiful blue sweater. Her 23-year-old daughter was her advisor ... as in "Mom, you can't wear black ... it will wash you out." Great advice. And, a fun color to paint. I even had to call in an auxiliary color, one not regularly on my palette, for this. Pthalo blue by Winsor & Newton stays bright and intense when mixed with white, while other blues dull and get chalkier with white. But, when I mix pthalo blue with white, it's intense though a bit blue-greenish. Add to that mixture some French Ultramarine Blue to warm it up and voila! A bright slightly warm blue. Hint, though. The order that you mix colors can matter.

Carol and I had a great time talking. There were lots of "small world" conversations She'd worked at Sikorsky Aircraft in Connecticut ... the same place that my maid of honor, Pat Fresiello, worked right after college.

Tomorrow's the last day of the session for Still Life. Time for me to go out and get a few things for the day. In store for them: some fun drills and sketches, value studies, color studies. Something different.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Sarah Banks, My Daughter, Is Face #77

"Sarah Banks: Face #77," oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

My daughter, Sarah, finally succumbed to becoming Face #77 in my 100 Faces in 100 Days Project. That means she's escaped for the previous 76 days.

Somewhere in the middle, Sarah asked me how much longer ... more than one hour? When I said I'd need four hours she wondered (aloud) why I say three to four hours when it's almost always four hours. She has a point.

I've painted her quite a few times, but this one's the best. Plus, I got to spend about five hours being with her, talking and taking breaks (including omelet making and eating). So, a very big treat for me! I want more days just like that.

With two kids grown, I miss spending day-to-day time with them. (I'm also very proud and happy for them.)

I hate to say this because I don't want to jinx anything ... but I'm getting better at painting. I'm struggling less (oh, I REALLY worry about saying that); concentrating on what's important and simplifying shapes; seeing and understanding subjects in three dimensions; dealing with paint and surfaces. In Sarah's case, I know how to paint her. That allowed me to push the painting farther than any of the rest which means I achieved everything I wanted to.

There'd be more photos ... like a photo of Sarah with the painting of her ... but she was napping when I thought of it.

Same painting with photo taken under tungsten light

Effect of Lighting: Photographing Paintings
I also photographed the painting outside, at dusk. I don't have a filter on my camera so the photo above has a bit of a dusky quality to it, but the colors are so much truer than many on my blog that I've taken under tungsten light. To show just how drastic the effect of lighting is on the photograph, the photo to the right is the same painting taken inside under tungsten light.

This is why when you look back through my blog at the photos of my sitters with their paintings, those photos look bluer/more natural. At those moments, there's more sunlight/natural light in my studio. Then I rest. Then I take photos of the finished paintings to get them ready for my blog and the natural light's long faded.

Cindy Grisdela's Blog

Cindy Grisdela is an accomplished fiber artist ... also a friend, one of my first "faces" (Face #4), and a fellow Great Falls Studios member. According to her blog, she was influenced by my project to start her own: a quilt a day for thirty days. I caught up on Cindy Grisdela's blog today about her quilt-a-day project ... and it ... and the quilts are terrific! Very inspiring! I'd heard about Cindy's quest from Laura Nichols (president of Great Falls Studios, a potter, and face #57). Seems Laura is thinking about her own project goal, this time in pots. I feel great that this project is getting these two very energetic and productive people to push themselves in a new way to help develop their art.

Recently I had a chance to be a "fly on the wall" and hear someone discussing my project. The comment was something like this: "She's already obviously great at painting portraits. Why would she want to paint 100 more?" My answer (which I couldn't give then) is multi-faceted. I think my work is really good and I put my heart and soul into it. But, I always want to keep improving. And, I'm not working to (just) become better at painting portraits, I want to grow as a painter (and artist) in my approach to all subject matter. Well, that's part of my answer.

 Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Lena Pedlikin Is Face #55 Today

"Lena Pedlikin: Face #55", oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Lena, age 14, is Adrianne Pedlikin's (Face #20) daughter ... and the two of them arrived today ready for me to paint Lena.

Adrianne kept quiet almost the whole ... pretty lengthy sitting ... something she managed because she' brought along a book to read (on her sixth Kindle). The idea was to keep the conversation between just Lena and me. So, primarily that's the way it was.

Lena's takes lots of honor classes, just joined the track team and has participated in the drama club as a freshman in high school. She was giving up her day to sleep in. High school start times are cruel. Not too far into the sitting, Lena checked her phone for the time and mentioned lunch time at school. Usually, my sitters get treated to coffee, tea or water and I starve them through the sitting. I've been on the 100 Faces in 100 Days diet for 55 days now. But I couldn't do that to Lena. Luckily I had something closely approximating her regular lunch on hand including Vitamin water, an apple and a peanut butter sandwich (on cinnamon-raisin bread though). Lena's mom lucked out, too, with some leftover shrimp and grits I cooked up for last night's dinner. Tomorrow's sitter probably won't fare as well. (Juggling anything ... like grocery shopping and cooking ... with painting a face a day is very, very tough.)

I was a little off today ... declared the painting done ... but it didn't pass the Adrianne and Lena test. She looked much older and something was amiss. So I pulled it over to the mirror along with Lena and that solved the puzzle. Poor Lena had to sit awhile longer as I moved up her mouth and chin to find Lena's face. So about a half hour longer and it was done. Met with approval. Phew.

In a few minutes, I'm heading off for dinner to celebrate my husband Randy's birthday at Cesco Trattoria in Bethesda. The restaurant's chef and owner, Francesco Ricchi, is the husband of Elaine Sheetz -- who modeled for my portrait class last Fall. Anyway, we're looking forward to some wonderful Italian food... yum.

"Jack's Tulips" New Painting Started
Last night, I did start a new painting ... of "Jack's Tulips" ... flowers that arrived via Jack Platt (Face #52). I put them in a beautiful ceramic vase brought back from Florence and they sit at my kitchen window. So I'm painting that at night and you see the reflections of the flowers in the pitch black window. Pretty. It also used to have two bananas in the scene. My daughter, Sarah, ate one of them. Oops. We'll see where that goes and hopefully I'll show you that soon.

100 Faces Project Page Updated on My Web Site Two Days Ago - Take a look
Read more about my 100 Faces in 100 Days Project on earlier blog posts ( and on my web site: www.JillBanks.com on my 100 Faces Project Page (link to it from my home page). 

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435 

Half Way There! Barbara Marhoefer is Face #50!

"Barbara Marhoefer: Face #50!", oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Today was a wonderful day! Perhaps my most leisurely day of 2011 -- the only "real" thing to do on my agenda was to paint face #50 ... who happens to be Barbara Marhoefer, Ben's (Face #49) grandmother, my diligent and quick learning painting student and my parent's (Faces #8 and #11) neighbor. One of my sitters suggested that when I do exhibit all of these paintings together ... that I should run string from one painting to another to show all the ways (that I know of...) these people interconnect. I love being around Barbara. She's one of those great spirits. I'd be willing to pay for one of her grins.

There's a whole lot to her.

Having her as one of my students is a learning experience for me. She regularly writes me notes/emails after a class to tell me what she learned that day. It's nice to have a recap and often I didn't even realize that what she learned was something I was "teaching."

Last semester, it was Barbara who brought in the magnolia leaves, pods and gourds ... that I also painted to become one of my favorite still lifes. Barbara would go "find" some magnolia leaves and pods each week to replenish their withered friends. This semester she brought in all this citrus including Meyer lemons back from Florida with her ... along with a painted bowl with tropical motif (fish) ... that's turning into this powerfully happy painting for her and fellow student Francie.

Barbara Marhoefer, Face #50 with her painting

Barbara was (a little) worried what we'd talk about during the sitting. If you are one of my future sitters ... and you're worried about this ... quit thinking about it. It's a piece of cake. There's just lots to talk about and it's easy, comfortable, fun.

Barbara's an accomplished writer and researcher ... among a host of other things. She wrote a book about her town on the Eastern Shore (MD) and we talked today about her fascination with pioneers of all kinds. I feel another book percolating ... bubbling up ...

Today was wonderful. It felt as good to get back to my faces project as it did to step away from it this weekend to concentrate on (son) Sam and (now daughter-in-law) Michelle's wedding. I've accomplished a great deal already this year and February's not even over. I have 50 faces ... now painted ... to look at, ponder and enjoy.

Barbara mentioned that having now painted 50 faces, I would know that I could complete this project. I actually never doubted that. I just embarked on this project knowing I'd reach the end but didn't know the "journey." It's been absolutely wonderful so far. Such a treat for me ... and such a treat for a whole bunch of other people including readers, sitters and friends of my "faces."

I am not caught up on a painting a day ... but will accomplish 100 faces in 100 days. If something ... like a very, very special wedding, or snow or the flu, etc. mean I can't paint (a face) one day ... I will catch up another. I'm two faces behind but not for too long.

Read more about my (Jill Banks, Face #100) 100 Faces in 100 Days Project on this blog (all posts since January 1, 2011) and on my web site (www.JillBanks.com) on my 100 Faces Project Page. (I need to update with Face #43 on... sometime soon.) All paintings are created alla prima (painted all at once) from live sittings by my volunteers who give three to four hours of their time (approximately) in exchange for the experience and to be part of my project. (And to help me do what I love to do ... paint them!!!!)

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Ben, Age 13, Is Face #49

Ben next to "Ben: Face #49"

Ben, age 13, sat for me on Super Bowl Sunday ... helping me to "double up" on sittings so I could take this weekend off. Ben is the son of one of my students and he was so much fun to be around. First, I love that people of all ages are volunteering for my project. Second, Ben is a fun, interesting, fascinating person to be around. Plus, an extra ... I really like his mom and enjoyed their interaction tremendously. My "minor" volunteers come with relatives in tow ... so my project turns into a study in relationships and personalities ... automatically.

I will get a proper photo of just the painting very soon. We just arrived back from (son) Sam and (daughter-in-law) Michelle's wedding ... so I haven't had any prep time. All of that went into making tent cards for the rehearsal dinner, clothes shopping. seating arrangements, contemplating, celebrating and the like. It was an absolutely beautiful wedding. The best parts were that family and friends gathered together to celebrate Sam and Michelle; a beautiful ceremony in which my choked-up son managed to get through vows he meant from the bottom of his heart with Michelle encouraging and supporting him through it in her kind way; and all the care, time, and attention the Anonicks (Michelle's parents) put in to throwing a terrific wedding ceremony and reception. It was fun and heartwarming at the same time.

Back to Ben. He sat for me patiently and talked. I'd squint at him and he'd look back at me so directly and honestly ... like sending me signals how to paint him. He was involved thoroughly in the process and interested in it. He hadn't seen a painting develop before and he got a kick out of it. He really liked the finished painting. A hit! He helped make it so.

Thanks, Ben! You rock.

Tomorrow I'm back to my faces project for ... drumroll please ... Face #50!!!!!

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Richard Kelly Is Face #47

"Richard Kelly: Face #47", oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Richard Kelly took the hot seat today ... sitting for face #47 of my 100 Faces in 100 Days Project. Richard's one of the foremost collectors in the U.S. ... and I've come to know him through his involvement as board member with the Great Falls Foundation for the Arts. Naturally, we talked a good bit about art. But, also about his family. His two sons who I would say he's rather nuts about. His wise wife.

A couple of funny stories about Face #47. Richard brought donuts and I consumed a few. That's definitely unusual for me. (I avoid gluten most of the time.) I ate one at first. My stomach growled and rumbled. I figured I must need another. Same thing. Finally I realized that the donuts themselves were causing the disruption. It wasn't about being hungry. The rest of the box left with Richard.

Checking out the painting ... almost done.

I showed Richard my painting in its very early, roughed in, messy stage. Perhaps that wasn't a good idea. I usually do this to show my sitters the process. Sometimes they see themselves then. Sometimes not. I think it was at this stage that Richard said something about doubting that it could look like him  in the end. I think the reason that he said that was because I showed it to him prematurely ... and he wasn't used to watching a painting come together. Maybe? But I took this comment, positively, as a challenge. Any time someone has doubted whether I could do something, I work very, very hard to prove I can. Richard figured out that I was an excellent candidate for negative reinforcement. For the rest of the session, the painting remained in "hiding" ... waiting for me to declare it done.

By the time he left, Richard did figure that his son would recognize the painting of his dad up on my wall ... which was a good thing. But I worked some more on it. Remember that negative reinforcement thing. (I hope my next 53 sitters won't try it.) So, I'm anxious to hear what Richard thinks now. It definitely seems right to me.

Oh, and I tried something different on this one. I was disturbed that Richard looked "washed out" by the background color which blended with his hair. I darkened the background a little bit and the painting looked so much better.

Read more about my 100 Faces in 100 Days Project on earlier blog posts (the project started January 1 and I announced it in posts during late December) and on my web site, 100 Faces in 100 Days Project page.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Diane Slafsky Is Face #46

"Diane Slafsky: Face #46", oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Diane was one of my very first volunteers ... emailing me right after I announced the project. Pretty brave woman! It took awhile before she sat for me ... because I painted her kids first, and she was incredibly flexible. It took some juggling to sit for me today. On her part.

Diane's very easy to talk to, open and thoughtful. I already knew she is a great mom since I witnessed it while her kids sat. I think she's also a bit of a philosopher. We'd talked about how amazing "regular" people are in that they manage the really hard parts in life. (Her words were better.) But, this project keeps hitting this home over and over again. So many people leading life with integrity; caring for loved ones; thoughtfully raising their kids; steering their lives in good directions; dealing with unhappiness or discontent or illness or whatever by figuring out a way to make the best of their situation; caring for ailing parents or kids with special needs; saying and doing what matters. Extraordinary daily acts.

One of the funny discussions was that both of us consider ourselves private people. (We were talking about Facebook which I'm a bit leery of  ... but that I'd like to reconnect with people from my past.) So, here I am writing a blog ... and here she is the subject of it. Something, perhaps, might be wrong with this picture.

I could write more and may. But not tonight.

See you tomorrow.

As usual you can read more about my 100 Faces in 100 Days Project on earlier blog posts (the project started January 1 and I announced it in posts during late December) and on my web site, 100 Faces in 100 Days Project page.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Mollie Vardell Is Face #40 Today: 60 More To Go

"Mollie Vardell: Face #40", oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Quick post ... just because I turned a relatively calm day into a full one and now it's time to relax.

Mollie Vardell, fellow painter and studiomate (actually Mollie's the one who MADE the Artists' Atelier shared studio happen), came and sat for me today. Mollie is the past president of the Great Falls Foundation for the Arts ... and is looking forward to the day when she can ... just paint! She's done so much for the community, family, friends.

She's also looking to move out of the area sometime in the next few years. Open up a new chapter in her life. Mollie's spent a lot of years calling this home, and it will be hard to leave, but it's still clearly exciting. She and her husband, Michael, are scoping out new potential homes and communities for just the right spot.

Read more about Mollie and view her art at: www.MollieVardellArt.com.

Good news! I went shopping today at Plaza. New paints. New brushes. A really big sigh of relief!

See you tomorrow. Next in the chair: fellow studiomate, photographer Walt Lawrence. He's warned me that he's going to set up a tripod to photograph the work in progress. Hope it goes well.

Read more about my 100 Faces in 100 Days Project on my web site and on earlier posts. 40 Faces painted ... on day 40 of 2011. I have got to do a LOT of scheduling for the next few weeks VERY soon. I have openings this weekend and next week that I hope to fill with my existing list of volunteers ... so if you've asked to sit for me and you're available ... let me know. Thanks!

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Marlene Grim is Face #29 Today: 100 Faces in 100 Days, Day 29

"Marlene Grim: Face #29", oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Marlene Grim is one of my parents' neighbors ... and my mom suggested to Marlene that she'd be a great sitter for my project. Marlene did do great. I think she was surprised that I could hold a conversation and paint. I've been well trained for that, by attending classes for years, giving public demos, and working with other artists in joint studio space. Sometimes I need to concentrate (quietly), but conversations are part of the rhythm of painting for me.

The conversations also serve a purpose here. To let me get to know my sitters better. Let them relax and enjoy themselves. Keep them engaged with me. I love listening to other viewpoints and perspectives on life.

Many of my sitters see themselves as non-artists. They can't draw and admire others' artistic talents. The ability to draw and paint has almost nothing to do with talent. It can be learned. Just as you don't know how to drive a car or ride a bike or swim or do a calculus problem through natural abilities, you must also study, practice, learn, be taught to paint or draw well.  You can master it ... a bit at a time. Or learn a little, and have fun just sketching what's around you.

This painting progressed well throughout the afternoon. Before and after Marlene's sitting, I worked on Randy's (my husband's) face. Poor guy. But I think it's better. I can see the kindness and good cheer in him. I need to step back. I did leave his painting in the studio to keep myself away from it. Tomorrow I paint at home ... Marlene's sister, Pamela Grim.

I do see myself improving. That doesn't mean I'm only going to have good days. But, I'm solidifying the process, understanding when the drawing (darks/lights) leave me ready to proceed, and make any helpful adjustments (process, setup, lighting, distance from subject) more fluidly. I'm just more at ease.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Stephen Klagholz is Face #28 Today

"Stephen Klagholz: Face #28", oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Stephen Klagholz, a friend of my son Sam's, came and sat for one of my 100 Faces in 100 Days ... faces. He's great company and we had a great time! Plus, the painting pleased us both. Yea!

He left, and I said I'd post this tonight. Sam's already called and checked on my progress. Sam sent a text message to Stephen while he (Stephen) was sitting for me asking how painting was going ... so I guess I better get my act in gear and post this. I will add other photos ... and text later, perhaps but I don't want anticipation to harm anyone.

What I really appreciated was the opportunity to get to know a terrific person better ... and the chance to get to know a friend of Sam's better. With so many friendships formed away at college, we know what his friends look like, but not who they are. I can see why the two of them are friends.

Stephen's got a great outlook and I feel like he'll always heed priorities in life, with family, friends, work, enjoying life in a good balance. I talked about "quitting" a company I founded ten years ago to get reacquainted with my family (and my life) and how happy I was that I took that much dreaded step. And, how lucky I feel that my family was willing to take me back. Stephen gets the balance message. (Even though I set some challenging goals for myself, I am living a terrific, full life enjoying painting, family and friends.)

We had a great time together ... and he's been booked to sit for the Portrait class I teach on Mondays. Now, that's a good day!

More photos and thoughts later.

Oh, and I worked on Randy (Face #27) tonight, too ...  I may edit yesterday's post with a new photo today or tomorrow.

I'll be painting Face #29 at the Artist's Atelier, 1144 Walker Road, Suite G, Great Falls, VA tomorrow (Saturday, January 29) starting at 2pm.

Here's a note from Stephen ... added tonight from an email he sent me.

"Mrs. Banks!

Honestly, thank YOU so much for today. I have written up a little blip about the session from my perspective that I hope thoroughly expresses my appreciation and that you can feel free to post it on your blog, in your book, and whatever you deem fit.

If you want to learn about art, take a session with Mrs. Banks. I had such a wonderful time talking with her, hearing all about her experiences, and learning about the true meaning of art. It is not about detail, perfection, or making art your life. It is about seeing the beauty in people and things, as they are, and illustrating them in such a way that captures that beauty, that sparkle in someone's eye, and that essence of life. Mrs. Banks is a master at such depictions and sheds a glimmer of her own radiance on every work she produces. During my session, our discussions ranged from the development of me and Sam's friendship to the philosophical conjecture that moderation is the key to a happy and successful life, which we both agreed upon. My painting is stunning and - not that she needs my approval - I am flattered to have such a magnificent portrayal of myself, one that has truly shown me an angle of myself that I've never seen before. No video, photograph, or description of me has captured the way that she has and it's so special to see it. This experience has given me a newfound appreciation for art and rekindled my personal interest in it. Mrs. Banks' talents blow my mind and it will be an honor to be a subject again.

Thanks again!

OH! P.S. Meredyth and my Mom LOVED the portrait and both asked when their session is :)

Sincerely,

Stephen Klagholz"

I'm going to have to turn into Jill Banks ... as opposed to Mrs. Banks ... since I probably won't show up on a google search for "Mrs. Banks artist". Thank you's go in both directions in all of these painting sessions. I love spending time with each of my sitters, and they really enjoy spending time experiencing something different and seeing themselves through someone else's (my) eyes. The ultimate good win-win thing. My favorite line from today was Stephen telling me that he thinks he has a twin! (The painting.)


Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Husband Randy Banks is Face #27 Today, Snow

"Randy Banks (husband): Face #27" Round Three. From 1/29/11

So we got whopped by some snow and ice ... so instead of painting Bailey's mom, Christine ... I painted my husband Randy who was sort of stranded with me.

Before I forget, I will not be speaking at the McLean Art Society meeting tomorrow am (due to weather and roads and school closings, I suspect). Another time. I'll keep you posted.

My painting of Face #27 is quite a conglomeration. Not sure how well I like it. I love him. (I may like this - again, don't know.) But this painting and our "sittings" haven't gone smoothly. It's not as easy to engage my own family as it is friends, acquaintances and strangers. I guess I've talked them out.

I had started this as practice before I began my faces project. I think on December 30 or 31 and it was absolutely awful. I had set up my easel way too close to Randy ... and it was that old "I can't see the forest for the trees" problem. Yuck. It didn't help a bit that I was about to launch 100 of these and hadn't figured out the problem. You need some sort of confidence when jumping off the high dive.

My painting of Randy on 1/27/11. Not so good.

Anyway, I left it until now because I figured I'd fix it and it would fill in when one of my faces couldn't show up ... or I couldn't paint. So I was working over a bad drawing (good drawing's depend on some distance from your subject or super skills) and my subject was yawning, diverted, falling asleep. (He's been working very hard on a renovation project and was out late last night retrieving our stranded daughter and shoveling the driveway this am -- so, reasonable to be falling asleep.) But it didn't help the painter and I relied on some photos to get the drawing in better shape.

So, there you have it. Husband Randy. Face #27. This is more detailed than all the rest -- so he'll stand out in the crowd. I prefer the more expressionistic, alla prima style -- but it was easy to apply the paint and get it to stick because the board had already had a layer of paint on it. A friend of our son Sam's is the subject for tomorrow.

Note: the painting at the top was my touched-up version on January 29 (two days later). The painting at the bottom is what I created on January 27 that pertains to this post. I know it's confusing.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

John McCabe is Face #25, One-Quarter Through My Project

"John McCabe: Face #25", oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

25 Faces!!!

John McCabe, fellow studiomate, painter and artist sat for me today ... as #25 of my 100 Faces in 100 Days project. John's also a portraitist ... so we had plenty of discussions on the subject. He just received a fantastic commission to paint the portrait of Professor Constantine Katsoris, Fordham Law School (John's alma mater), for installation in the Moot Court Room. Can't wait to see that one underway at the Artists' Atelier, the studio John and I share with 15 other artists at 1144 Walker Road, Suites D&G, Great Falls, VA.

The portrait turned out much better than this photo depicts. I had changed the settings to better photograph in one room ... and took this in another. I'll replace it on here tomorrow when I get a chance.

The wall in my studio on day 25 ... so 25 faces

I'm patting myself on the back today. (That's okay, right?) At 25, I'm a quarter of the way through my project and I survived two days in a row of teaching in the am and painting in the afternoon without too much trouble. Now, if I can remember to bring in a pad to cushion my feet -- I paint standing up and the floor's brutal -- life will be even better.

Randy and I redid my wall of faces in my studio this evening and extended the shelving. So more faces can fit ... so here's a photo of it on day 25. Pretty cool!

John ... near today's painting.

Last night, I attended the annual meeting of Great Falls Studios, a group of 90 artists who live or work in Great Falls. I had put out an email right after I dreamed up this project looking for people to volunteer. Well, a lot did and last night's meeting was full of many of my faces... and many more I'll be painting soon.

Okay, time for rest. Tomorrow morning is Face #26, which I'll be painting in the Great Falls School of Art room, 1144 Walker Road, Suite D, Great Falls. Feel free to pop in, take a look at the wall and see how I'm doing on the face of the day.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Nancy Bruckner Sits for Face #24

"Nancy Bruckner: Face #24", oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Today after my portrait Class, Nancy Bruckner sat for me upstairs at the Artists' Atelier to become Face #24 in my 100 Faces in 100 Days project. Sitting (Nancy's a student) and painting after class is a little difficult ... just hard to keep up a high enough energy level. Both of us were munching on a few chocolates ... and Nancy did great.

I did fine in the painting department ... occasionally seeing her on the canvas only to have her disappear and reappear again. But not too much. Considering I couldn't put in a long night, we pulled the Judith St. Ledger-Roty (Face #15) trick and carried the painting to the mirror to figure out any problems. Then, I fixed them.

Now, this painting is one of my favorites.

Nancy was looking at me ... while I was looking at her, and she thinks I ought to model for my own portrait class. She marveled over the fact that my eyelids are barely visible and I marveled over the fact that her eyelids are this beautiful, big surface to decorate. People fascinated with painting people can get very interested in every part. I have tried to sit when a model was late to a class I was taking (quite a few years ago) and found it very difficult. I had proposed that my students in portrait class draw or paint someone this week while letting them talk and move ... like my project. If they can get the hang of that, I'd have a very easy time getting models. And, they'd get lively looking portraits.

I've been receiving lots of volunteers lately ... and I need to spend some time figuring out just where I am with my list before accepting all these nice offers. It will take at least a few days.

I'm speaking to the McLean Art Club during their meeting this coming Friday, January 28 at the McLean Community Center. My topic is "Building and Engaging Your Art Clan". The McLean Art Club holds its monthly meeting at 10am. I talk starting at 10:45am.

I've got to stop typing for the night ... go to bed early ... to be ready for Still Life class and painting Face #25, John Francis McCabe tomorrow.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Ray Rollins is Face #23

"Ray Rollins: Face #23", oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Ray Rollins, Chris Rollins' (Face #22 from yesterday) husband became Face #23 today. We had a wonderful time, laughing and enjoying the hours flying by. Chris was working (on  her art, yea!) upstairs in the Artists' Atelier and would occasionally come down and check out progress ... which seemed to work just from the beginning.

On Retirement
Ray is retiring soon -- and looking forward to it. He, like so many of my other faces is looking at doing new things (besides sitting for an alla prima portrait) and returning to adventures and undertakings he enjoyed before. He enjoys acting, so will look at what community theater offers. And watercolor classes. (Ray, there's a one-day workshop coming up next Saturday, January 29, 1-5pm through the Great Falls School of Art taught by Bob Gilbert (Face #9). $75.  To make it easy on everyone, supplies will be provided.) And cook more -- he loves to cook and promises to abide with healthy, delicious choices, fresh, slow food. (Sounds great ... as I just put a Company Pot Roast in the oven for tomorrow night's dinner.)

Ray Rollins with his Face #23 Painting

 Funny Story
One of our really funny discussions was about this whole 100 Faces project. Ray and Chris went out to dinner last night with good friends. Chris had sat for me already and Ray was revving up for his big day. (I can't quote this too accurately -- but the gist will be there.) Ray said he had never even given the slightest thought to having his portrait painted.  It never crossed his mind. So Chris and Ray told their friends about signing up for me to paint them. And, their friends were incredulous -- and were like, my god, how much does that cost? (Figuring portraits, expensive ... which they are.) And then, Ray goes, "That's the wild part. It doesn't cost anything!!!! All you do is agree to sit." And then, they all were talking about, well, I hope you can buy the painting at some point.

This one's blurry but too great to leave out. They were looking at Face #23 done.

So, the transition is from: I never wanted a painting of myself. I have to sit for four hours. You don't have to sit still and you get to talk the whole time.  It sounds like an interesting thing to do. It's free. Boy, I hope I can buy it.

Advice for My Talk
Ray helped me, today, in thinking through a talk I'm giving Friday for the McLean Art Club. My topic is how to "Build and Grow Your Art Clan" ... and my problem with it is that it is supposed to be for an hour and fifteen minutes. (Awfully long.) I plan on just telling stories. (I have PLENTY of those.) When I told Ray my topic, he asked what an art clan is ... and I proceeded to tell him in a way that I hope I can repeat on Friday.

And another of Ray and Chris Rollins. Think they like it?

When I've painted couples, it's been fun to see the interest each one has in the others' portrait. Chris made sure that Ray had longer hair ... like she likes it ... and delaying the haircut. She helped with orchestrating the photo of him with his portrait. (He needed her!) And, they just have fun sharing this experience with each other.

Now, if I'm painting your Face at the Artists' Atelier, my sitters get to hang out with my wall of faces -- and the impact is amazing. While each painting is interesting to look at, there's an incredible power with all of these Faces together. Everyone feels it. It's fascinating. My husband, Randy is getting ready to add a shelf and extend the ones I have so I can fit more ... but in the meantime, Chris and Ray Rollins are hanging out over the big window in my studio. Maybe I'll give you a glimpse of that tomorrow.

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435

Cindy Hargroves is Face #21 in My 100 Faces in 100 Days Project

"Cindy Hargroves: Face #21", oil, 12"h x 12"w, copyright Jill Banks 2011

Cindy Hargroves came to sit for me ... because she read the blog post of Cindy Grisdela (Face #5) about sitting for my project. Thanks Cindy (Grisdela) for explaining that it's a fun and different thing to do. Cindy (Hargroves) believed you ... and emailed me to "sign up."

I'm going to say that 2011 seems to be the year that a lot of people are committing to trying something new, moving outside their comfort zone, or giving something a shot that they have always wanted to do. Lots of my faces subjects have volunteered because it's something they had never done before (and they wanted to do something outside their comfort zone). It's one of the top three reasons I hear. (The other two are volunteering to help me improve my skills as an artist while letting me do what I really want to do ... and the curiosity/learning aspects of the experience.)

This is an open grisaille (one color painting) of Cindy. How I start.

Cindy Hargroves has been trying out new things including taking a drumming class and an African dance class ... and sitting to have her alla prima portrait painted. Alla Prima means all at once, or in one sitting. These "faces" paintings are much less developed than a formal portrait and are more like an oil sketch to get the essence of my sitters versus an accurate snapshot. Today's sitting was three-and-a-half hours. Most are from 3 to 4 hours.

I keep getting to each person's mouth last ... since we're having conversations from beginning to end and I can't paint it mid-sentence. I did ask Cindy to keep her mouth still -- no talking -- for a little bit. But, I complicate things because I'm always having such a good time, I'm always smiling and it's difficult not to smile back. (You can try it when you come sit for me.) Plus, inevitably, I'll ask someone to hold his/her mouth still so I can paint it, then immediately ask them a question. Duh. This time I was about to ask a question, then stopped myself and by the time we started talking again, I'd forgotten what I wanted to know.

The painting a little further along ... on my easel.

Today I painted in my home studio ... and tomorrow and Sunday I'll be back in the Artists' Atelier to paint. Feel free to stop by on Saturday from 10am to 4pm (I'll be painting from 10am to 2pm -- but the studio will be open for regular open hours until 4pm). I'll be bringing in my three paintings I did at home -- Begona Morton (Face #19), Adrianne Pedlikin (Face #20) and Cindy Hargroves (Face #21) to put up on my Faces wall in my studio at 1144 Walker Road, Suites D&G, Great Falls, VA 22066. Those will complete my wall with its current shelving -- so husband Randy will need to add more for my next week's worth of paintings.

I love the wall. You will, too. It's amazing how powerful all these people all together. Like a room jam-packed with friends.

Cindy Hargroves taking a photo of the finished painting.

Which reminds me. One of the wonderful things Cindy told me about today was that her neighborhood all gets together for Friday Happy Hour, hosted at one of the houses with people bringing snacks to share and drinks. Neighborhood kids know neighborhood kids, everyone knows everyone. From there, they've formed other activities like a Book Club, dinner club, etc. -- but it's a wonderfully social group. How great is that? So much better than everyone leading their own separate lives -- and terrific for the kids who need those connections with those older and younger than themselves.

Okay, enough typing. I've got a show application to do ... and have to really map out a talk I'm giving next Friday to the McLean Art Club. Got to go.

Thanks, Cindy Hargroves, for sitting for me. Thanks, Cindy Grisdela, for your help in convincing her.

P.S. I forgot to mention that my 100 Faces in 100 Days Project will be exhibited in May at the Great Falls Library in Great Falls, VA. At least that's one of the places you will be able to see it. I will also be doing a solo show there in February 2012. (Something other than faces that I'll spend the following 256 days on, I guess.)

Web: www.jillbanks.com
Blog: jillbanks.blogspot.com
100 Faces in 100 Days Project: www.jillbanks.com/jillbanks/100_Faces_in_100_Days_Project.html
Email: jillbanks1@aol.com
Phone: 703.403.7435