Portrait

A surprising find

I recently made a discovery that shocked me. Deep within my closet, I found an approximately 20-year-old portrait I painted of my oldest nephew when he was about six years old. I couldn’t believe that I forgot all about it. 

My oldest nephew has grown into a stellar, intelligent, kind young man and a role model for his younger brother. 

This was the first portrait I attempted, and my then-child nephew was about six years old. I created the portrait from a photo of him.

I must be honest here: I was satisfied with the final product, but the process was unpleasant. To me, portraits are challenging. And my first oil painting teacher Hans helped guide me through the process, such as thinking about things such as proportions and creating a likeness to the person being painted. The problem was that Hans no longer had much patience with me, as the other two students in the class did better non-portrait work.

I went through several drafts, throwing all the canvases in the garbage in fits of rage before finally getting it to work. I remember it took a long time to paint the portrait. And I spent a lot of time being frustrated. I think that had I had a more patient, impartial art teacher, I might have enjoyed the process more.

I guess this discussion on portraits Is leaning toward me one day doing a self-portrait (gulp!). I have a picture of me, but I’m nervous. One day, but not today.

And I will have to practice patience.