I am starting to expand the visual boundaries of the faces which I paint. This painting includes arms and torso, not just a face. At one time, I painted nudes, standing figures which incorporated the entire body into the painting before I began to focus only on the face. The body can communicate as much as the face. In my diagnostic work with deaf children with multiple disabilities, I was observing a girl about 7 years of age. She had been identified and diagnosed as mentally retarded, but was referred to the California School for the Deaf for further observation. I observed her nonverbal behavior, how she played, how she imitated, how she moved in her environment. Thank goodness, someone else agreed with me and saw the same behaviors which I saw--not those of a mentally retarded child. The diagnosis was changed and she was placed into a classroom where she received the appropriate education. That's just a part of my "other, past" life which influences what and how I paint.
Check my website Charlotte Shroyer for more wacky faces.
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