Portrait Painting: Matt with Carved Bench

When I talked with the very gracious

mother of two boys about  the oil portraits that I would paint of them, she decided that they would have separate canvases so that they could each inherit their own portrait painting someday. I would paint indoor backgrounds that would look good in their house and they would be hung on opposite walls of the same room. We did the photoshoot and the boys were so good. Then their mother and I poured over the photographs and chose the best parts for my references. When she returned to my studio to view the finished portraits, she exclaimed: “They’re beautiful. It looks just like them. I love that bench. I know exactly the frame that I want for them.” She pointed to one I had on the wall of my studio—museum-quality, hand-carved and molded with 22-carat gold leaf. (You can see it here: image #5 "Baroque” frame ) and said, ”This is what I always envisioned.” I ordered them right away. Of course it takes at least 4-6 weeks to get that quality of frame made. When they arrived, we installed the two portraits and their proud mother took them home. Interestingly enough, the father didn’t like this little boy’s expression. When I showed him the photo reference, he thought that didn’t look like his son. He said he would find another picture for me. When he did find one, it was a little snapshot: very sweet, but tiny—the head was barely 1” high and not as sharp as I would want it to be. I felt as if I were painting more from the impression that it gave than from the exact reference. When I finished the father was very pleased, however, so it was definitely worthwhile. You can see the finished portrait here (above). Related links: Children Oil Portraits: Brennan with ChairRemember Youthful Innocence in Oil Portraits of ChildrenChildren Oil Portraits for Mother's Day You can also view this portrait painting in the Children Oil Portraits Gallery