Thanks for your feedback, Thea. As you say, each to their own opinion, your comments are always welcome, valued and appreciated.

I must admit I am somewhat baffled by photo-realistic work. I realise that the old masters worked in this genre, but then that was because the camera didn't exist and their paintings filled this gap. I had a look at Karen Hull's work and although her skill with pencils is amazing, it makes me wonder if skill alone is enough. I always wonder where the artistry, i.e. the personal view and interpretation of the subject, is in this type of work? Surely you look to any artistic interpretation to tell you something more about the subject and make you look at it in a different way rather than just presenting a perfect representation of the subject. There is a lot of photo-realistic work about at the moment and I get a bit queasy that it is worshiping at the alter of skill and technique rather than chasing the goal of true artistry. Only my personal opinion, of course, and there are many who love this sort of work, but it isn't for me.