'Lila Pearl IV - Baker Girl'

Strikingly lovely...this is in the tradition of the Dutch masters...I love the way the child's image stands out against the background..a classical representation.....I could live with this on my wall.

A beautiful portrait, as Ruth says, in the style of the Dutch Masters. This painting just screams quality. Well done, more please.

stunning image and technique,

Lovely - I agree with Ruth, as soon as I saw it I thought Dutch. Possibly one of your best, in my mind.

A charming portrait Thea.

Excellent portrait, love the skintones and her hands are fantastic.

Wow ! Amazing

This really jumped out at me - one of the best I have seen on PoL for many a long day

Wow Thea - this is absolutely stunning, the hands, face painted perfectly and the little buttons on the sleeves - amazing detail, a masterpiece!

Amazing paintings Thea! May I ask how long they take to complete? You are very talented.

Absolutely stunning - the pose, the palette, the depiction of light - I agree - one of the best you've done.

I think it has all been said, but well done, beautiful.

Thank you all so much, it really means so much to hear so many positive comments. I really loved painting this one of my daughter. It was pre-selected for the RSPP but got no further, it has knocked my confidence as I really thought it was one of my best and would have loved to have got to show it there. Nevermind, I've just got to forget about it now and try not to get back onto painting again. I will hopefully add another shortly X

Christine, it took me about a month (late evenings only) to complete this one x

Brilliant!!!!

Thea, a really stunning painting, so tender and yet not sentimental at all. Well done. What is the RSPP? Portrait painters maybe I'm guessing? I wonder if it's possible to find out what their reasoning was for it not going further, as how else can we learn how to improve - it's hard to see how this could be much improved in my humble opinion!

Excellent child study and so beautifully executed. Your depiction of character is superb Thea.

This would have graced the recent Vermeer and Friends exhibition at the Fitzwilliam! I feel quite privileged (along with lots of others) to be able to share your brilliance on POL. I very much liked your 2010 Lila Pearl (at the 2010 BP - I have looked at it many times in the Award brochure) but, in my humble opinion this transcends even that as a portrait of a growing girl. Have you entered this?

Sorry, Thea, I just read your comment 13 which answers my question above. I can understand how you must have felt. Like you, I think that this is one of your best. Keep going though. Your work is an inspiration.

A really beautiful portrait. Love the pose and the story it tells. I thought at first it was a play on Girl with a pearl ear ring; the style is so similar.

Utterly enchanting, I hope your confidence is restored with such super comments, I love this :)

All I can say is amazing !!!

What amazes me about this, apart from more obvious things, is that you've achieved it in acrylic - not the medium you'd have thought best suited to this technique; and I wonder if it might have achieved inclusion (in the RP exhibition, was it? I've a short memory span!) if it had been painted in oil: which still seems to be the preferred medium for portraiture, though you wonder why if you can get results like this.

Wonderful, great gallery Thea.

One word to describe this ....masterpiece! Sorry it didn't make the exhibition makes you wonder what they;re looking for doesent it. Don't let it get you down. I know what it feels like.

Absolutely beautiful :)

Just stunning Thea.

Amazing painting Thea! I find I have to keep looking at it, and in my mind its well up there with the masters, very well done you.

Love all your brilliant portraits, but this one is just so lovely. I agree, you are very talented and not many can paint good portraits like you. Well done.