When I have finished a commissioned portrait, I take pride in having accurately portrayed the model’s mouth or lips, so there is no doubt that it is a recognizrd identity. But when the client sees the finished portrait, they do not seem to recognize my successful lips, but focus instead on the eyes! I believe the reason for this is that they take the mouth for granted. They expect the mouth to be correct, a part of the total image, saying “It is him” or “It is her”, so no special attention to the mouth is needed. And that is the thing I try to bring to my class ---that while it has long been said “the eyes are the window to the soul”, it actually is the mouth that identifies the personality. No two mouths are alike, interpreting the subtleties of the model’s individuality in a portrait is what makes the difference. Even when the artist’s work is not up to his own level of proficiency, if the mouth is believable the portrait is immediately seen as that of the particular personality.