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Hand Painted Portrait of Oneself — Here’s My Story — You Can Have One Too!

Hand painted Portrait of Jessica closeup painted in oil by her husband Gerry Chromoy

1. “Jessica” by Gerry Chromoy

I thought I would tell you a personal story about my wanting to see a hand painted portrait of myself when I grew up, what happened when I did, and the revelation I had. By the way, leave it to a portrait painter to have a half-dozen portraits of herself to talk about….

But first, let me say a few brief points that are special about this art form:

A hand painted portrait, whether painted or drawn, is created by an artist looking at the subject and/or several photos. While doing this, the artist gets to know the person and senses how best to portray their individual beauty and manner. It is a molding together of many, many, many instants of time. In contrast, photos are valued for capturing every slight expression of feature just as it was in one fleeting millisecond. But a hand painted portrait actually represents a much larger segment of time.

My experience receiving hand painted portraits of me done by others

Hand painted over photo christening picture

2. JPR at 16 mos.-old painted photo

Since I was young, I wanted a hand painted portrait. I wanted to see how someone else saw me. Growing up, I was glad to have the 11”x14” painted photo that my mother had had done of her little darling baby at 16 months in a christening gown. [See picture #2] It has always made me smile every time I passed it and feel very special and loved. But I wanted something more.

A Disney artist made a caricature drawing that I threw into the first trash can I saw. It was 20 feet away from the point of purchase. Then an artist friend freely colored over a black and white photo of me making a cute exaggeration. I enjoyed looking at it and still treasure it. Unfortunately, I put it in some hidden location “safe” keeping. Another artist friend drew a head pose of me that was over-idealized but I could definitely recognize it. I loved it.

Hand painted portrait of Jessica Rockwell by a fountain painted in oil by her husband Gerry Chromoy

3. “Portrait of Jessica” by Gerry Chromoy

My Dream Is Full-Filled

Still wanting, however, to be formally painted, I finally made two self portraits in my 40s. One was an 8”x11” watercolor [See picture #5] and the other a 30”x36” oil [See picture #6]. I was finally satisfied that my childhood dream had been accomplished. Then my husband-artist made a surprise 24”x30” portrait of me closeup [See picture #1]. That was a whole new viewpoint to experience!

It didn’t stop there! He made two more oil portraits of me, each 18”x24” where I am small in dominant backgrounds. [See pictures #3 and 4] Though not compelling in size, they have a great allure (for me at least)—I love being in paintings with his  impressionistic style. And they bring back happy memories of outings we had in beautiful places.

Hand painted portrait of Jessica Rockwell by a statue painted in oil by her husband Gerry Chromoy

4. “Jess” by Gerry Chromoy

By the way, I knew an excellent and successful artist who painted a couple of self portraits. Both seemed a little weird to me though. One of them especially had a comical smirk. I wondered why did he did that. Perhaps he was bored with the image he saw every day and created something in defiance?

So why might a person enjoy a hand painted portrait of oneself? My revelation!

I can only tell you from my point of view. For me, it was very rewarding to see how other artists saw me (as long as I liked it).

Hand painted portrait, a self portrait, of Jessica Rockwell in watercolor

5. Self-Portrait, watercolor

I think that could be compared to the awareness that you get when you see a candid photo or a surprise video someone made of you. Of course, liking it is infinitely better than not, that’s for sure. The ones of me, even my own self-portraits, make me think that I am looking at my body but not trapped inside of it as is usual. That seems sort of like a super-power, doesn’t it!

I haven’t even mentioned how a hand painted portrait is passed down the generations. One loves being able to see a special moments of their ancestors aesthetically portrayed. You don’t even have to be a relative to appreciate portraits (if beautiful) from the past.

Hand painted portrait, a self-portrait, of Jessica Rockwell on Blue Background

6. Self-Portrait of Artist in oil

Have you ever considered getting a hand painted portrait painted of yourself (or a loved one who might enjoy it too)? Can you imagine that you might like to see it hanging on your wall? Call/email me and let’s get started today!

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Oil Portraits • All the Portrait Galleries
Realistic Portrait Painter Starts Life Story
Casual Oil Portrait in Jeans

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