The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, October 23, 1904, Page 9

more the sty ho turned out all nches v ever, ted for her thing ming about a miniature. pating, fragile. In se. No one ex- reds, dull greens and if th tones a hopeless jum! the Brilliancy does splendi. > broader Beld, but it is delicac that counts in miniature painting. The fter the blue, the more delicate the pink and the purer the white the bet- r then it is like a beautiful flow er, delicately tinted and exquisitely re- freshing Mipjatures, to my way of thinking, should not be mere portrall Theére be a little ething more. O , € hing should remain sub- like but the pos- for daint re: » great that always seems a e not to take advantage Photographs have an immense hold yublie, caused by the number of novelties that are sc easily produced "and their comparative cheap- but they will never entirely efface dainty ivory, for it has stood the test of I Just why people are so prone to think painters in the “little” mere dabblers in color is°quite beyond me, yet these tiny bits -of - sentimentality are chiefly re- garded as mere playthings, fit only for a circle of brilliants or pearls, or per- haps a band of dull gold—a something that adds to woman's attractiveness and - that detracts materially from man’s pocketbook. ’ Any “dabbler” will tell you that it is useless ‘to “attempt,this sort of work without a thorough knowledge of draw- ing. That is the first essential, and it is iabsolutely imperatiy Good, hard years- must. be «put 'in studying the human body. for-it is impossible to build a pretty fate on & peor back- ground. The skeleton must be there, for while it is not seen its presence is distinctly felt. Then comes the struggie with colors, and after this the knack of finishing perfectly, for great delicacy of touch is required, else the miniature just misses fts object—that .of being a pleasing picture, The old masters sat for hours and idealized every pretty face to such an extent that it was at most perfect, but the majority of people do not realize the infinite amount of patience,, the accomplishment that dainty perfection of color requires, nor would they have the patience and endurance to giye the sittings from life. I believe most thoroughly in beginning from life and in putting in the greater part of the work the same- way, but there are times when a good picture, frequent- ly a snap shot, is quite as good and I do not know but just a little better. ‘The expression of the face is'so elusive and it changes so quickly that it is frequently somewhat of a problem to know which would make the most charming picture. There is the sweet, demure loor, the haughty, distin- guished woman of the world, the quaint, old-fashioned type and the whimsical girl whose real character is so impossible to depict on canvas or ivory. But once chosen, the expression must be strict dhered to, and so naturally working from the combina- tion of portrait and life lessens the strain of both artist and sitter and is infinitely more satisfactory in the long run. #In painting, I much’prefer to use seme simple evening:frock or: better vet a fluffy" bit of material that will drape -softly and prettily over . the shoulders and arms, for in this way the girl of long ago compares favor- ably with the one-of to-day. In hats there is just oné style that adapts itself splendidly to all times and all needs and that is tite artistic Gainsborough, a thing of beauty To my mind this fascinating miniae ture cannot be too highly , finished; there cannot be too great a degree of perfection. Of course, this means hours of labor and of the mest trying kind, too, but it is well worth the struggle—that is, if one wishes to make a success of it,