MY HERO (Artistic one that is!) For those of you who know me, you will probably guess who this is. Not my best portrait I don't think - perhaps I was put off by the man's brilliance with watercolour and also knowing that whatever I produced would

Hi there Thea , I'm sorry but i don't know who he is but its a nice looking portrait . He looks a bit like me only in thinner .great work Thea .

I certainly do know who this is and a very good likeness it is too. I have said frequently Thea that some of your latest works more than nod to the great man and this has a kind of symmetry about it. Charles Reid in the style of, well Charles Reid of course. Excellent stuff. Well done. Your next challenge.......Trevor Waugh.

I don't know what Charles Reid looks like Thea, but this is an excellent portrait, full of character. I'm sure he'd be thrilled with it!

Thank you very much Dennis, Philip and Christine for your very kind comments. Philip, it is indeed dear Charles, who is the kindest and most modest man you could hope to meet and one with, in my opinion, a prodigious talent for painting both in watercolour and oils (which he started with). I don't try to copy him anymore (I used to the very beginning of my painting journey just to try and understand how he put his paintings together) but I do use many of his techniques for applying the paint and also share his mindset about trying to work out when to stop - probably the single most difficult thing to decide on when painting. It was actually a very daunting portrait to do as I almost felt that Charles was looking over my shoulder, watching.....scary!

Lovely portrait of a great man

Your washes are lovely as usual, Thea. Excellent portrait. PS the comment box has increased in size ....

I certainly knew who he was, immediately I saw it. An affectionate tribute to your mentor - I can almost hear that little noise he makes when painting just by looking at it.

I'm in shock..the comment box is massive now. Someone must have known we'd like this portrait and have lots to say about it..LOL. Seriously, it's a super portrait obviously of Charles R. He looks kind and thoughtful here which perhaps he is in real life. A lovely tribute to an artist that you admire and respect.

Thank you very much Dennis, Gudrun, Robert and Louise for such nice comments. Do you know, Robert, the little noise he makes is catching. When I was on the course with him, by about the 3rd day, it was really funny because you could hear these little whistling noises from people all around the room as they painted - I think we all thought that it would make us better artists, lol! Louise, Charles is indeed kind and thoughtful and is actually very amusing. He has something of the little boy about him and the interaction between him and Judy, his wife, is very engaging and funny. She herds him about like a rather naughty 6 year old - but in a very charming way. Of course, he always wears his signature baseball cap to paint - so I had to include that in this portrait. Now that he is getting on a bit, I am not sure if he will visit the UK again to teach, so I am very glad I got to meet him and also to have had the privilege of sitting right beside him (all students got a turn to sit next to him at his easel) to watch him paint.

He has a very kind face Thea! I like his forthright gaze too. A lovely portrait.

Thank you very much, Sarah - that's really kind of you.

Looks pretty good to me Thea, from what I remember from photos in his books. Quite an individual style which has influenced you too I think.

Well splattered Charles, excellent likeness

Yes I knew him straight away, he would be delighted with this Thea.

He's quite a hero of mine too! I think you've done the great CR justice and he would be very proud of his pupil!

Lovely and appealing as always Thea. Thank you for introducing me to his art.

Thank you very much Stephen, Glennis, Carole, Debs and Kal for these lovely comments. I know I have been heavily influenced by Charles's style, and the style of some other artists as well. However, he in his turn says he has been very influenced by Singer Sargeant and also, I believe, a chap who rejoices in the name of Hercules Brabazon Brabazon I didn't actually discover Charles R on my own - it was through Judi Whitton, who herself was influenced by Charles..... and so it goes on like a thread through people's artistic progress. We all affect each other in some way.

This is just spot on, Thea! That signature cap, that engaging expression, and gorgeous clear, bright washes. Splendid work, Thea!

Thank you very much, Seok, for that very kind comment.

I don't know Charles but reading the previous comments, you have captured his likeness and personality in your superb portrait Thea.

Haven't a clue who he is but this has looseness and detail. Works very well full face. How large is it and out of curiosity, what is your Chester connection?

Thank you Fiona and Roger K for your kind comments. Roger, the work is 38cm x 28cm and it is of Charles Reid, the great American watercolourist. Look him up - not sure if his style is your thing, but it is definitely worth a look. As for Chester, I live just south of Shrewsbury, so have a trip to Chester quite often to go shopping.

I recognized Charles Reid immediately. Have you been on one of his courses? I've always wanted to, not yet managed it. But I have three of his books and one of his DVDs....

Thank you very much, Matthew. Yes, I was lucky enough to get on a week long course with Charles R in 2013 in Burford in the Cotswolds. The course was absolutely amazing and I would love to go on another one just for the joy of watching the man paint. However, he is in his mid seventies now and it looks as if he is going to concentrate on teaching in America from now on - a great shame. I wrote a daily diary of the course and posted it on my POL blog, but with the changeover to the new site, those entries seem to have gone missing. I think you would have found it interesting as I was able to send people images of the paintings he was doing as demos and then they could read the blog post and follow how he put the work together. I shall have to contact POL and see if I can find the missing blog posts in case you are interested in reading them.

Matthew, I have found the diary blogs I wrote about the Charles Reid course in Burford. You can find them on the Blog page, and they are on pages 62 and 63. There are entries for all five days. If you would like to read them and would like copies of the paintings I am talking about, I can email the images to you. I did this for several people around the time of writing the blog diary.

You have been very busy during my absence. It is nice to see all your new creation.<br />Your portraiture is beautiful. I love the style you have adopted too Thea!