New Way of Approaching Portraiture

I'm finally starting to realize that in order to make a portrait really be about someone, sometimes you have to stop focusing on what that person looks like. I feel like this is a huge step for me. I have been so focused on trying to make my paintings look like who they are of, but once I'm finished they really do not say anything about that person other than what they look like. I think my work will start to look very different now. Just a few of the artists I am now looking at are Susan Lichtman, Fairfield, Bonnard and Hopper. 

Work In Progress

Most recent painting - In progress

First time using a palette knife for painting on a large scale (2'x3')

Palette Knife Sketches

My mentor suggested I try doing some paint sketches using only a palette knife, focusing mainly on light and using a limited palette. It was...interesting. I have never tried painting this way and I had to give up a lot of control while using the palette knife. Here are a couple of my sketches.