Being in on the surprise
Fairly regularly potential clients ask me to paint the portrait of someone I can’t meet. A lot of times the subjects have passed away, leaving no chance of my meeting them, but sometimes potential clients are interested in commissioning the portrait of someone as a surprise gift for that person. In these cases, the patrons usually have a particular photo they wish me to work from.
While I love the idea of a surprise portrait, it isn’t something I can normally do. Not only do I need to take my own photos of the subject, but I need to be face to face with the person I’ll be portraying. Observing the way she-he moves and breathes as well as how the subject and I interact is all a part of my completed paintings. While I may work from photos to paint, I’m also working from chemistry, and that’s not something that I can glean from just a photo.
When the subject isn’t deceased, I usually try to persuade potential clients that a portrait is always a surprise for its subject, even if she-he knows it’s coming. But, if they’re set on their idea, I explain that this is one of my boundaries as an artist—one of the things that will make or break the finished piece as a work of art—and it’s not something I negotiate. I’m also sure to let them know that there are lots of artists who wouldn’t view their stipulation as an impediment to art-making and that it’s only a matter of finding the right match for their project.
Recently, I got to be in on a surprise without compromising my way of working. A potential client contacted me and arranged for me to meet and paint his mother-in-law, Lola. The resulting portrait was a surprise gift for Lola’s daughter. This is the making of that painting:
I love-love-LOVE being part of a surprise gift, so when it works out I am a very happy painter.
“When I saw the painting [of my mother] all I could do was cry. You managed to capture not only her physical likeness, but her spirit as well. Being away from my family has been the biggest challenge of living [here]. All I can say is that when I sit with the painting, which I do often now, I miss her less.”
Gwenn Seemel
Lola
2010
acrylic on canvas
36 x 24 inches
(detail below)
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CATEGORIES: - Video - Process images - Practice -
(2) Comments / Commentaires: Being in on the surprise
Thank you! A lot of it definitely has to do with the subject too. Lola was so much fun to interview and photograph!
Edwin Hayes...
This is a lovely painting and for me, and I obviously didn’t know her, the eyes tell me a story. Like all your work the joy is in there!!!
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