Love Has Many Faces

Jasmine all dressed up for the middle school valentine's day dance.

My heart is connected to Streets Ministries. I see the difference they are making in the lives of Jasmine and countless other kids who are born disadvantaged. Streets offers them hope, love, stability, and most importantly, the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. These kids come from a world that doesn't expect them to amount to much. Streets empowers and encourages them, helping them break the cycle of poverty and really make something of themselves.

Streets has touched my life. They have opened my eyes to the reality that every advantage I have been given is by the grace of God. I did not earn it or deserve it. And I believe that God blesses us to be a blessing to others. So recently I have felt led to do something to further the work of Streets. You see, my mission is to help people honor and celebrate their family relationships through my artistic talent. Well, not everyone has stable family relationships. Not every child is blessed like the kids I paint.

A couple of months ago I had Jasmine and her friends over at my place after church. I did little sketches of them to take home, and as I was doing them I was struck with a thought: these kids will likely never have their portraits painted. They won’t ever get to experience the feeling of knowing that someone loves you so much they'll commission art in your honor. Not many South Memphis kids are the subjects of portraits. But I believe they are  are uniquely and divinely created. Their lives matter, just as much as the lives of the kids I am commissioned to paint.

So this year I am beginning a new project. Through a series of portraits, I am going to spotlight the kids at Streets and tell their unique stories. My hope is to inspire and encourage them- to let them know they are worthy subjects of art. I want to bless their parents by giving them portraits they might not otherwise be able to afford, because they love their kids just as much as the rest of us do. And most of all, I want to encourage others like me to give out of the abundance we have been given and to be thankful for the warm meals, family dinners, toys, vacations and safe schools we are blessed to enjoy.

Let's Party!

By Kate Bradley 23 October 2013, 10:21AM

Last Thursday my clients Katherine and Stephen hosted a party at their house to unveil the portraits of their twin sons for the first time. Unveiling parties are the best part of the commission experience. It's just a time to gather and celebrate with family and friends. As Stephen said, it's a personal experience you don't get everyday.

The atmosphere was warm, fun and relaxed. No shoes, no problem. There was wine and cheese for the adults, but the biggest hit (for me at least) were the Chik-fil-a chicken nuggets.

After we mingled, I revealed some of the secrets of my creative process. I showed guests the proposals I created and how each one focused on portraying the individuality of the child.  Then the kids busted into the room to get more sacks.

One of the guests asked me if I paint pets, too. While I love our furry friends, I don't paint them as the subjects of portraits, only as part of the surroundings.

I met the boys’ god parents, who were each partial to their godson’s portrait. Go figure.

Afterwards, Stephen told me that this was a completely new experience for him. Unlike his wife, he doesn’t come from a portrait background. He said he will enjoy having the portraits as he watches his boys grow up.

It's a privilage for me to get to do the work that I do. I love being able to give people something so special that they will treasure for the rest of their lives. Or, as Katherine's mom said, the portrait is what she's grabbing if the house is on fire.

Yes!

Aha! Moments

By Kate Bradley 19 September 2013, 10:20AM Someone asked me the other day if I preferred painting children or adults. Children, hands down, I said (no offense to all the grown-ups out there). For one, you don’t have to make them look younger, thinner or more beautiful. They are perfect just the way they are.

I was at the Dixon recently to see their current exhibit, Picturing America. My dear friend Julie was leading the tour. (Side note: If you have not been on a tour with Julie, stop what you are doing now and go. She makes learning about art so enjoyable and refreshing.) We stopped at a portrait of two European boys playing outside, one with a yo-yo. Julie told us that up until about the mid-eighteenth century, all children in portraits looked like small adults. Stiff, regally dressed, and very serious. Until that point, children weren’t considered individuals. Childhood was just a way to get to adulthood and so children were reflected in their portraits they way their parents wanted them to become.

The stuff of nightmares.This is a boy, btw. A boy with a walking cane.

Then things began to shift. Childhood began to be considered as a special time. Children were recognized as the individuals that they are, with their own personalities and interests. And so the portraits of children became much more lively and expressive, often depicting them in outdoors, associated with nature.

Meet Ansel. Ansel enjoys rabbits, decorative headwear, and macrame.

But seriously, HUGE improvement over Creepy Shrunken Person.

I had one of those “a-ha!” moments. Or rather, something I already new was reminded to me in a delightful way. This is the essence of what I do: celebrating childhood. I always seek to represent the individual personality of the children in my portraits, but I had never really considered why. I don’t just want to stick every child I paint in front of a garden- there are plenty of those portraits.  I want their portrait to reflect who they are as individuals: their interests, their personalities, and their uniqueness. Why? Because childhood is special. Wow, I thought. What a privilege it is to get to paint these precious and fleeting moments. To preserve them forever in a commissioned work of art. I’m truly honored.

Sweet Caroline

By Kate Bradley 15 August 2013, 9:14AM  

Yesterday Chris, Kristen, and their daughters Caroline and Gracie gathered in my studio to see Caroline's charcoal portrait for the first time. If you remember, Kristen was the client I wrote about here.

I have known Chris for many years, starting back when he was a leader in my church's youth group. I love Chris and it was really fun for me to get to work with him and his family. Yesterday he was running a little late, and made us promise not to look at the portrait until he got there. While we were waiting, I asked Caroline if she was excited. She said yes. I asked her how it made her feel to have her portrait drawn. Good, she said.

When I led them back to my studio, her parents were overjoyed. Kristen told me she wouldn't stop looking at it. She was sad that she couldn't take the portrait home now because it had to go to the framer's first.

There was a hilarious moment when Chris started talking to the portrait as if it were Caroline. Daddy, Daddy! I'm right here! Caroline would protest. Shhh, I'm talking to Caroline, Chris said.

Later Kristen sent me this picture. It's so sweet for me because I genuinely love her and had a great time creating her portrait. I kept thinking the whole time: she looks like an angel. I love her straight eyebrows and blond curls.

I know how much Caroline likes art, she even won a contest at school, so I invited her and a friend over for a play-date at my studio. Caroline and Kristen loved the idea. Play-dates are just another way I add value to my clients' lives and continue our friendships because I truly enjoy them and their children.

Cheers,

Kate

Studio Play-Date

By Kate Bradley 5 August 2013, 8:34 AM  

I'm always thinking of fun ways to continue my relationships with clients. It's my mission to celebrate them and their kids. I thought that it might be fun to have a play-date at my studio for a client and a couple of her friends to expose their children to the art-making process. I invited one of my favorite clients, Lauren, and she brought her twins and three of their friends.

It was such a neat experience for me to have all these cute girls in my studio and to teach them how to do what I do. We did self-portraits and I showed them how to draw the basic features of a face while encouraging them to draw their own hair, eyes and clothes. They ran with it, and made the cutest little paintings.

The moms and I chatted and laughed about their daily duties, handling all the craziness and trying to steal those precious few moments to have conversations with adults. One told me how her kids have a sixth-sense; the moment she gets on the phone and they come charging in demanding attention. Another told me how she knows you aren't supposed to talk and text while driving but that it's literally the only chance she has to get in touch with people. Too funny.

The different personalities of the girls were exposed while they painted: some were proud, some frustrated, and some were battling perfectionist tendencies, which I can totally relate to. It's hard being an artist:)

Until next time,

Kate