Last night, a visit to the Germanton Gallery to see Scott Burdick's and Susan Lyon's paintings.  In a way I hate the internet images, because they have underrepresented what can only be taken in when you are close enough to the paintings to converse with the subjects.  Not that I would be going about doing that!  I can't say my breath is taken away very often by paintings, but the three-dimensionality of these faces is amazing.  Scott also juxtaposes absolute blobs of impasto paint next to the faces, making up the surrounding landscape or some props, or, most amazingly, a thick (measurable depth of paint) highlight on the subject's face or neck.  Susan's paintings don't have the impasto, but an otherworldly softness.  Her painting is to the left.  These are two people wholly dedicated to the study and practice of painting and drawing, and it shows in every square inch.  They are nice people too.  Hurrah, hurrah--a jaw-dropper.