New Portrait start

This is a start I made on a 16" x 20" oil on canvas panel..Pannelli Telati.. on Saturday afternoon. My friend Sherrie came to paint with me in the studio. Wonderful breeze coming through the finally-cool-enough-to-open window. New CDs on the stereo- Bonnie Raitt's new one, Michael McDonald's Greatest and k.d.lang singing with Tony Bennett. I've got two patients in a few minutes, then I'll get back at this painting. This is a young man I begged to take a photo of in the library branch down the road. He's agreed to model for another painting I have in mind for competition. This one is just to play with. I'm watching DVDs of Scott Burdick and Dan Gerhartz paint portraits and getting all juiced up to go at it myself. Why did I let fear stop me for so long!?