The Reluctant Muse

"Portrait" © J. Licsko 01, 

14"x20" oil on linen

This painting, I have always said, is unfinished.  I wanted to add more detail to the hair.  This portrait of a young woman is the first painting that was inspired by the sight of the model. She was a true muse in the physical sense, my first, that I was conscious of.  I saw her while I was standing at a checkout counter.

My inner voice said "She would make a beautiful painting".  I try to respect other's privacy, and it is difficult for me to ask a stranger for anything. This time, I ran after her. She seemed rather aloof and distrusting as she should be.  Probably most young women, have had men approach and tell them they should be a model.  Knowing that, I wrote my name and phone number on a piece of paper and asked her to please call me if she was willing.

A few days later, she was in my studio. She brought a friend for safety and perhaps a little moral support.  The afternoon I took photographs of her was the last time I saw her. I called her to tell her the painting was almost finished.  She expressed little interest in seeing it, and she never has.

I now know the painting is finished. It is what it is. A portrait that is the essence of Anna, my first muse.