Portrait of the Green Mug

I started this portrait of my friend almost two years ago and i thought i would experiment with techinique. But the more i experimented, the more frustrated i got because i wasn't capturing the essence of my friend. I got too "technical" and the painting looked boring. And then, last Friday i went to the Cantor Art Center and saw a Diebenkorn that inspired me. He captured a woman sitting in a chair very simply but it had all the essential components. The position of her body and the gesture of her hand created wonderful shapes. When i got to the studio Monday morning, i took the portrait that had been in storage, and painted.
When i go to her house, she has her cup of tea in this green mug. It is a color that is very "her" - and i made the mug bigger than it really is. I wanted to create tension in the back with the lines behind her but it was also a little nod to Diebenkorn and his rectangles. Now, i know this looks nothing like a Diebenkorn but that painting helped me to find the direction i needed to go. I had so much fun doing this.