by David R. Darrow
5" x 7" (12.7cm x 17.8cm)Oil on Panel SOLD Collection of Jeanne Armstrong
Savannah, GA – USA
About This Painting
At a glance, when I met this young woman, my eyes told me so many things that left an impression in my mind that within seconds I was deciding whether or not I would ask her for the favor of painting her portrait. My daughter was with me — we were shopping and had a deadline.
"Excuse me," I said to my daughter, "but I think I want to paint that woman that just walked by."
"What woman?" We both turned and looked down the aisle which was now empty.
"She must have gone around the corner. Help me look for her... she has big, beautiful eyes and gorgeous, golden brown skin." We found her a few aisles over.
After trying to convince her that I was not "hitting on her" (I gestured toward my daughter) I explained that I am a painter, and that I paint things that I find interesting or beautiful, and that I would like for her to consider allowing me to paint her face. I gave her my card, asked her to look at all the paintings on my website, and that if she would allow me, I would love to paint her sometime. I reminded her that I had not and would not ask her for contact information, but that I really would like to paint her and that if she would please agree to it, to please contact me.
Within the week she e-mailed me and told me she would like to pose for me.
After a few e-mails and calls, I asked if she would "mind posing in something kind of period or historical... like something a servant might have worn on a plantation?" I assured her that my purpose was to portray her as dignified, and with respect.
She arrived for the poses, and we tried several — all were fantastic — I kept getting distracted by all the rich colors of her face, and lavender reflections of the light off her smooth skin.
This pose stood out as the one I wanted to paint first. It conveys, to me, a sort of weariness, yet with hopefulness deep in her soul; an understanding that regardless of her circumstances, hope lay in her knowledge that to God she was of immeasurable worth.
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1 comment:
You did an amazing job of capturing a mood here. and the story is great how you found and she agreed to let you paint her! I'll miss your bantering on the daily painters site!
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