A hippie doctor

[Mary Sparrow]

I know this is short notice, but hopefully there will be a few of you our there that will help me brainstorm today. My aunt is coming for the night. I don't know what has possessed me, but I have this really strong urge to paint her. I never paint adults so this will be new for me. Let me tell you a little about her so that you can help me come up with ideas of how to do this. Jane just graduated last week at the age of 45 with her Ph.D in Pharmacology. Sounds stiff, boring and brainy right? Well, she is far from it. She still thinks she is in her 20's, actually her boyfriend just turned 31 . She is single and spends every spare minute living in her own little Mardi Gras. We have often referred to her as the smartest woman on the planet with the least amount of common sense. She is very tall, has a wild mane of dark hair, very blue eyes and commands a presence in a room. While I never thought her to be any particular beauty, it is very clear SHE thinks she is a beauty..

That pretty much describes Jane without going into detail. She is such a unique individual, how would YOU go about painting such a colorful person with such an impressive title in front of her name?

[Mike McCarty]

I see my job to be this:

Create a comfortable, relaxed environment, not anxious, tense or unsure. Try and control my own demeanor, and speak as if in casual conversation, even when directing the subjects pose.

Have control of the technical aspects of your task (which will greatly aid the task above). These matters should be understood and in place before hand, and should be mostly transparent to the subject.

It has been my experience that people cannot easily hide what they are. Unless, through your own ineptness, you create some false, nervous atmosphere. Prepare a neutral slate from which they can emerege.

If you can manage these few things, the qualities of the sitter will more easily be revealed, in spite of whatever clever plans you may have made to extract them.

[Linda Brandon]

Originally Posted by Mary Smith

I don't know what has possessed me, but I have this really strong urge to paint her.

Hooray! This means you're getting a Direct Message. Always pay attention to those.

You sitter has one of my favorite colorings to paint. She seems like she ought to be looking at the viewer directly. If you have some fans, could you blow her hair around, at least for a couple of shots?

Gung-ho, playful, non-anxious sitters are an awful lot of fun, especially if she trusts you. You will want to use this for your portfolio, of course, so if you have any formal wear see if you can get her to wear it. This includes jewlery, gloves (why not?), long scarves, etc. . Before the shoot, look at your favorite artists and copy their poses and lighting.

Beauty is all about self-marketing after the age of 30 or so. I've met very unattractive people who think they are beautiful and of course the exact opposite. Very interesting.

How much you flatter her is completely up to you. I personally have no ethical problem with this whatsoever, though some artists might. Taking off pounds is tricky; eliminating wrinkles and sags is easier. I used to draw people at fairs and after a string of lovely children it was an enormous jolt to look up and see a ravaged adult face sitting in front of me. But now I adore them.

I'm really looking forward to seeing some photos, Mary!

[Mary Sparrow]

Linda, I wish you were here! I'm so used to just running around trying to click pictures of unwilling children that I'm a little nervous about dealing with someone, that I KNOW will EAT UP being asked to pose for a camera! I think I am probably being hard on her when I say she isn't good looking, she actually will probably be very fun to paint, she has very strong striking features. I just think she looks like my grandfather with a wig so I see her through different goggles. She doesn't know what I have in store for her yet, this is going to be my graduation gift to her. I feel like this portrait needs to be not so traditional with some drama, since she is quite the drama queen but I am not so sure formal attire is what is needed, she is more a tie die and berkenstock type chick.

If any artists come to mind, please link me to them!

[Linda Brandon]

Originally Posted by Mary Smith

I am not so sure formal attire is what is needed, she is more a tie die and berkenstock type chick.

This is a gift to her, right? Tell her you need a portrait of a well-dressed, beautiful woman for portrait marketing purposes, which you will then give to her. Don't feel as if you need to create a psychological portrait of her if it's a free painting. (Ruthless, aren't I!) As long as it's dramatic, I'll bet she'll go for it. Don't put her in a suit or a go-to-church dress, but don't make her so outlandish that she'll scare away potential clients looking at your work.

[Michele Rushworth]

Your description of this interesting woman reminded me immediately of this painting that is currently on display at the Frye Museum in Seattle. The artist is someone I've never heard of, a Leopold Schmutzler from Austria, painting around the turn of the century who looks to have been inspired by Sargent.

Speaking of Sargent, check out his many portraits of women with vibrant personalities, on the ARC site. In particular I'm thinking of his portraits of actresses and dancers, but also some of the society women. The portrait of Mrs Hugh Hammersley comes to mind as someone, while traditionally dressed, is posed with an energy and directness.

Sargent's paintings on ARC: http://www.artrenewal.org/asp/databa...aid=187&page=1

[Michele Rushworth]

For some reason I can't get the "Manage Attachments" function working, so I will try later to post the image I described.

In the mean time you can see it by going to the Frye Museum's website at www.fryeart.org . It's on their home page and you can see it by scrolling down.

[Mary Sparrow]

You are RIGHT Michelle! That is an awesome portrait and I have a picture of Jane in almost the exact same pose from my wedding.

[Linda Brandon]

Originally Posted by Michele Rushworth

The artist is someone I've never heard of, a Leopold Schmutzler from Austria, painting around the turn of the century who looks to have been inspired by Sargent.

Michele, it may also have been inspired by Boldini, another popular "society" painter (who, unlike Sargent, has become quite obscure). Here's a Boldini example of a woman who seems to have had some fun in life. See that body language? "Come over here and sit next to me for a second... ."

[Michele Rushworth]

What fun you'll have, Mary! (Makes me want to go paint myself in some flamboyant garb and dramatic lighting. Yeah, right, I'll get around to doing that in my so called "spare time".) Show us the result when you get it finished!