portrait details

 

For me, portraits are about capturing the essence and energy (and of course the likeness) of that person. I also thrive off of memories and nostalgia. I did not take either of the photos that I worked from of my children, but I remember who took them, where we all were and what we were doing and to me that’s everything.  So I tried to work these memories into the background with a more abstract approach,  emphasizing their energy and playfulness. My goal is to have a finished product that is traditional in portrait execution, while exploding with fun color, quirk and expression!! 

 

As for size, the bigger the better! We want their big personalities to be seen and to make a statement! The minimum size is 16x20 for $1600. If you want to go larger or have a size in mind, I would love it, just let me know and I can provide quotes. I will work from your photo(s). If you were struggling to pick one please feel free to send them all! I’m happy to look through them and pick which one would work best as a painting. We can also collaborate to work some things into the background which is an exciting way to add color and funk! For example the painting of my younger son, Gresh, I kept in mind that we were feeding the horses at the river that day so I used that as my vibe for the background. As for Row’s portrait, my friend took this photo as he was swimming in the pool which was his true passion this summer! Don’t worry- if these are a little bit too much for your taste, I can tone them down a bit but still want to maintain my artistic integrity.

 

In order to maintain fairness to my list, I will require a $100 deposit and I will also keep in mind when your original inquiry was! Once your photo reference has been finalized you are good to go! Turnaround time will be discussed during photo discussions. 

 

 

Helpful Hints 

 

The following is an example email of what is considered VERY helpful in the creation of the environment, vibe and background of your child’s portrait. This customer happens to be a very talented designer so she attached some textiles to somehow incorporate in  the backgrounds as well as a few other helpful hints like a sentimental necklace and the importance of the beach to her family. She was nervous this was “too much” but as you can see from my portraits, nothing is every too much for me! 

 

 “She is a very good dancer—she takes Ballet at Richmond Ballet and she desperately wants to be Clara in the nutcracker. I don’t think the ballet is a passing little girl fad for her, she truly love to move whenever she hears music. Dancing is her happy place and she’s also a performer—she likes to be in front of people. She is very dramatically inclined lol. 

 

She’s just very feminine in her demeanor and very sweet, but she likes playing with boys and has lots of little boy friends—I think she might be a “cool girl” when she grows up except for the fact that she’s like overly-enthusiastic about EVERYTHING—like she has no chill whatsoever. She is going 24/7. If someone is having fun somewhere in her general vicinity, she wants to be right in the middle of it. 

 

She likes pinks and purples but I love when she wears blues too because her skin is fair and her hair is so light, her eyes are really piercing when she wears pale blue. 

 

She also has a serious sweet tooth—loves gummy candy, anything sugary and loves lollipops. She asks for a “bessert” after every meal—she calls it this still, we never corrected her pronunciation because we all call it his now lol. 

 

She definitely has a lot of “extra-ness” to her personality. She’s a little over the top. When I told her you were going to paint her portrait the first thing she said is “Oh my gosh, I’m going to be FAMOUS!” 

 

He has that Jonathan Adler needlepoint car pillow in his room and in general I LOVE Jonathan Adler and how cheeky he is btw. He has a large constellation print in his room and a lot of moon/star stuff too. 

 

He is quintessential boy—he loves cars/trucks, he loves being outside and working in the yard/yard tools—especially weed whackers, leaf blowers and lawn mowers. Very obsessed with cleaning up leaves. He also loves cleaning supplies lol—brooms, mops, vacuums. He is interested in how things work and he likes to take things apart—lots of tools, little bolts and screws, drills, etc. 

 

He runs everywhere he goes and he likes to dance with his sister too. He likes to pretend he’s “Zamp the Zombie” and scare us all. He has a deep belly laugh. 

 

He wears a lot of blues and colorful striped things. I love putting him in the color red and his favorite pair of shoes are little red sneakers. He really likes sports too—he has very broad shoulders like my Dad and I just picture him as an athlete type when he grows up. He is all fire all the time—like throws his toys when he doesn’t get what he wants, tantrums kicking and screaming on the floor.”

 

please DO NOT HESITATE TO REACH OUT WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR CURIOSITIES OF ANY ASPECT OF THE PROCESS.  OR if you have ideas or photos in mind, send your vision  and I WILL BE HAPPY TO DISCUSS IT FURTHER.