Drawing Emily and Kate

I recently completed two charcoal portraits of sisters Kate and Emily. When I met their dad, Philip, I asked him why he wanted portraits of his girls. The first thing he said is that he thought they were at a really cute age. (Kate is six, and Emily is four.)

Then he said that his house needed some art. So we measured the space he had in mind and decided that two head portraits would work really nicely.

I loved getting to know these girls. Kate can sing all the songs to Frozen and Emily loves Hello Kitty and shopping at Target.

Each girl is totally natural in her portrait. Kate is wearing her Hutchison polo and Emily has on a cute purple dress with frills along the neckline.

Kate was confindent and relaxed when I took her picture. Emily, though, was shy and kept hiding under the covers. I sensed that she was a playful girl. I was so taken with her beautiful, white-blond hair that I chose to set if off against a dark background.

Each portrait captures what’s true and unique about the girls. As I'm spending time with them, I ask them questions and get to know them so I can bring their most natural selves out in the portrait. It’s a different approach than the one you would use to take a picture. I’m not looking for a quick snap shot or smiley-face; I’m trying to create a sense of who that child is as a person.

So maybe the child is super-smiley in the portrait, but often times not. Children just don’t walk around with smiles plastered on their faces. Instead, I try to capture a pleasant, natural expressions that reveals the personality of the child. Or another way to put it, they way they look when no one is watching.

Henry's Story

 

When I finished the portrait of her son, my collector Micki thanked me for once again capturing the magic in her children.

I love how she phrased that. The magic in her children.

It made me think about how children see life. To a child, every day is an adventure. The world is exciting and limitless - they can be anything and go anywhere.

Children are totally honest and real. They don't hide their feelings and they don’t wear masks. They ask for what they want. Children have their own interests, personalities, and perspectives that I am privileged to celebrate in my work. Every portrait commission is a new opportunity to tell the story of a child.

This month I told Henry’s story.

Henry is a rascal-y two-year-old with sparkling eyes, rosy cheeks, and a mischievous grin.

He loves cats (Aristocats, to be exact), his rocking horse, and trains. He's endlessly curious.

He’s not above accepting candy bribes to stand still for a picture. And why should he? He’s got places to be and things to explore. Henry is a man on the move.

Last week, Micki and Dan Martin held an intimate gathering in their home to unveil Henry’s portrait. We sipped champagne and sampled hors d'oeuvres. Before the portrait was revealed, I shared insights into my creative process and the inspiration behind this piece.

Then we unveiled.

I have am so grateful to my patrons for loving my work and trusting my vision. As a token of my gratitude I presented them with a signed copy of my book.

It's an honor to tell the story of Micki and Dan's children in my work - to capture the magic of childhood.

How will you tell your child's story?

Celebrating the Individuality of a Child

I get to know the kids I paint. I talk to them, hang out with them, and play with them. I'm constantly making mental notes: What's his personality like? What's his favorite thing to do? Where does he like to hang out? This past weekend I took pictures of Tanner, Cannon and Walter Sherman. Triplet boys. I'm in the process of painting three full-length oil portraits of them. When I met with their mom Deede last fall, she showed me all of their baby pictures and told me how each boy was different from their brothers. She has a bumper sticker that says, "Support wildlife. Raise triplets." I found out what that meant on Saturday.

The boys and I had a blast. They took me to all their favorite play spots in the back yard, and ran around while I photographed them in their natural environment. I'm like a wildlife photographer. We went up to their play room, explored the giant magnolia tree, and climbed on the swing set.

Walter is more serious and reserved. The silent leader. Cannon is confident and friendly, with a goofy side, and Tanner is just a sweetheart, with this raspy voice that makes you want to melt. Every five seconds it was, Kate! Take a picture of me doing this. They especially loved the mid-air shots falling from trees. Perfect for a portrait, of course;)

I just loved getting to hang out with these precious boys and discovering their individual personalities. The interaction I have with the children I paint is so important to my work. Plus it's just fun.

A Professional Artist?

A gentleman contacted me last week because he was interested in portraits of his three kids. This was unusual because normally it’s the moms who reach out to me. But every once in a while I’ll get a commission from the dad.  

Thayne and his wife Anne live in a beautiful home in the Shady Grove area with their three children: Lillian and twins Matthew and Mitchell. The family recently moved into a new home and were in the middle of renovations when I met them.

Thayne and Anne seemed very much in love, and they shared with me the story of their relationship. Thayne said that whenever he gets asked what he wants for Christmas, he always responds that he wants good memories and a means to keep them. His recent birthday gave him time to reflect on his "three bundles of chaos" and how they've all changed.

Thayne has an avid interest in art and is a Caroll Cloar collector. During our time together, I met the twins and took a tour of the house. The room I loved the most was Lillian's It was the perfect little girls room: pink with butterflies, flowers, tea sets, and ballerinas. I could tell how much Anne and Thayne love their children by the care they took to create a beautiful environment for them.

Throughout the consultation, Thayne kept telling me what a relief it is to meet an artist who is a business person.

From my experience as an artist and entrepreneur, I know that most people don’t expect artists to be professionals. For instance, I have a friend who waited eight years for a portrait because of the artists lack of professionalism.  Most artists have no idea how to run a business. They just don’t teach you this stuff in art school.

So I get why he was surprised by my professionalism. I have immense respect for my collectors and I work to make the commission process as clear and easy as possible. I meet my deadlines and I’m clear about my terms and boundaries.  I don’t discount my portraits out of respect for my collectors who pay full price. And as Thayne said, it’s not like I’m just sitting around with a paint brush in my hand waiting for a commission. That's why I encourage serious collectors to book their portraits in advance.

And I won’t paint dogs, so don’t ask:)

The Joys of Painting Children

 

Lately I've realized how much I love to paint portraits of children. When I started this business, I just assumed that I'd paint men in suits like most other portrait artists. But as the years have gone by, I think I've really discovered my niche with children.

I have painted portraits of adults before, but they just aren't as fun and exciting as painting kids. I really love the kids I paint. I love the process of hanging out with them and getting to know them before I paint their portraits. I want to see where they hang out and what they like to do.

A friend I was chatting with the other day pointed out that it really makes a difference who the portrait painter is. When my friend was little, she had her portrait painted by an older man, and it was sort of awkward and uncomfortable because of their age and gender differences. They couldn't really connect.

The children I paint portraits of are generally pretty relaxed and comfortable. The portrait process is pretty foreign to them, and they tend to stiff up. They don't know how to act in front of a camera. So I make friends with them so they will open up and be natural with me.

In a way, I guess I feel called to paint children. I never thought of myself as a kid-person before, but the more I’m around them the more I appreciate their individuality and uniqueness. And plus they’re just really cute. I don’t have to make them look younger or thinner (I’ve “fixed" things like missing teeth before) but in general I don't do much changing because kids are perfect just the way they are.

A client of mine, Kristen, sent me the sweetest email the other day. She said that there was a group of people over for a dinner party at her house and everyone saw the portrait I did of her daughter Caroline. One of her friends and her husband both agreed that this was the first charcoal portrait they have seen (other friends of theirs have had some done by other local artists) that truly captured the child.  They commented that every other one they have seen had something that was a little "off" about it, but that I totally nailed it!

I could tell Kristen was really proud and obviously, it made me feel great.

By Kate Bradley 3 April 2014, 1:10 PM