Bright Eyes - oil on canvas - 30cm x 40cm by Gerhard Ritter

although your work is competant it doesn't seem to have any wow factor - a bit boring Are you bored Gerhard?

Sorry I shouldn't have said that - too much wine! They are very good portraits - I was bored ...

Ha... we've all done that.... ignore that man! Seriously, I don't think James meant that at all; your work is indeed highly competent, but as to wow factor, how does one judge it? Preferably not when one's three quarters of the way through a nice Shiraz..... I think when one produces a great deal of highly proficient work, some of it will hit the eye more immediately than other examples: as one who is not much taken with portraits of children, for example, I am less enthralled by this than by some of your adult portraits, but that's me, not you. It's good, it's perceptive and sharp, and beautifully coloured; and as you say yourself, not tight. So I'm not sure what more one could ask!

I tend towards tee-totalling and try to treat the things that those that are tippling do and say with tolerance. Life is short and we all get our kicks where we can. That wow factor is so undefineable - if it weren't we'd probably get it at the local bottle shop.

In the haze and when in a bad mood one doesn't clearly see the beauty, and maybe jealous if it's there anyway. I think possibly the wow factor is just how many different styles are uploaded on this website, I am getting my own buzz as a newbie trying out different techniques searching for my wow! - hope that doesn't come across as big headed or clever - I'm Not :-)