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Oil Portraits of Husband and Wife Show Their Love

oil portraits of husband and wife

Batista and Evelyn record their love for posterity

I took great pleasure in painting the oil portraits of husband and wife Batista and Evelyn Madonia of Plant City, Florida. It all started that very special day several years ago. They had seen my work on TV (a Fox News feature) and called me right away. Evelyn said that in all the memorable decades of their marriage they had never had an original oil portrait done and it was definitely time. We scheduled them to come to my studio for a reference photoshoot for my painting.

From the first moment they crossed our door step, we immensely enjoyed getting to know them and working with them on this creative project (and many more). They were kind, warm and wonderful people. Their beautiful daughter, Rosemary, came with them and glowed from the excitement of her parents getting an oil portrait painting to show their love.

oil portrait of Rosemary with red rose

The beautiful Rosemary with her red, red rose

Over the next many years I enjoyed seeing and visiting with the Madonias while painting several more customized portraits for them, 8 total, including one of Rosemary.

As I created aesthetics for them, I watched Evelyn blossom as she restored a large neglected inn that had come up for sale. She created old-fashioned Southern ambiance out of a modern-day set of drab buildings. She picked quality furniture, wall-paper, drapes, sculptures, and marble counters for the reception areas, restaurant and guest rooms. Everything was top notch. She hired only the best chefs for the superior dining experience she envisioned and achieved. Rosemary was in charge of the entertainment for the restaurant and dance floor and brought many exciting talents for the locals and visitors from farther-reaching places to enjoy. The inn also housed a grand hall for large dining affairs which the Madonias donated at different times for charity events. Another very cute undertaking that Evelyn did was to dream up and star in light-hearted TV ads for the inn. There was no end to her create! All the residents of the Plant City area that I spoke to told me that they felt the Madonias had really created a beautiful gathering spot that they were extremely proud of. Here is a recent article from the Tampa Bay Times on Evelyn’s Red Rose Inn.

During this era, we did photoshoots in their home in Plant City, chose hand-carved/hand-molded, museum-quality frames, delivered finished portraits,  and relaxed with them at their inn and charity events. It was definitely quality time in all respects that we spent with this gracious couple. When we came to Plant City, they invited us to dinner and/or brunch at the inn and to stay over in one of their plush set of rooms. Evelyn even created the “Jessica Rockwell Suite” as one of her themes. That certainly had its own charm!

Evelyn liked to remind me that early on I had told her what to expect from their portrait. I had said that when she passed it in their home, she would feel peace and joy. She said that is indeed exactly what she felt and thought of it often. Through the years she wanted more and I greatly enjoyed painting at my easel with Evelyn and Batista for some time. They had a lot of love to share.

Here are the rest of the oil portraits of husband and wife that I did for the Madonias. You can click to enlarge each one:

Related posts and pages:
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• Susan and Leslie Gonda
6oth Anniversary Portrait of Larry and Lynette
Oil Portraits of Men and Women

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