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!

A Family Affair

By Kate Bradley 1 July 2013, 9:51AM  

My studio was crowded yesterday.  I’m working on two portraits of twin boys, John and Henry. Their mom, Katherine, her husband, her sister, her niece, and the boys came to my studio to see the proposals, which are small studies in oil that become the basis for the portrait. Before I begin work on the actual canvas, I want my clients to be happy and excited about where the portrait is going. I want them to be involved in the creative process.

I often ask clients to bring friends and family members to my studio. It’s such a fun moment because it’s when the client can really envision the portrait for the first time. Before that, it’s just talk.

This particular commission was really fun for me. I love doing individual portraits because I can really develop the personality of the child and use the background to reflect that. It's part of the value I offer to collectors: painting children engaged in their passions. John likes sports and outdoor activities; Henry likes to read and draw.

For John’s, I was really drawn to the beautiful light filtering through the trees and the relaxed pose. This one is going to be so fun to paint.

I am equally excited about Henry’s. He is holding one of his favorite books, which he told me all about during our time together. I used cools blues, purples and grays as my primary color palette with the contrasting pops of orange and red. I incorporated one of their existing art pieces to frame Henry’s head and make the composition more interesting.

Katherine told me that art means a lot to her family. In her words, she would rather keep driving her car for a few more years so she could buy meaningful art. It made me feel honored and privileged to help them add meaning and joy to their lives by painting their children.

And it's always great to have a little play time. Here are the kids comparing their "actual size" to their "portrait size!"

Celebrating Aristocracy vs. Celebrating Family Relationships

For the past year I have been working with a business coach. One of the things she has encouraged me to do is to look at the careers of successful artists to understand what made them successful. Where they just really good artists or was there something more?

I started thinking about John Singer Sargent, the most successful portrait painter of all time and one of my favorite artists. He earned about $130,000 per commission in today’s dollars. Amazing.

How was he so successful? I used to assume it was because of his talent. Yet there are many talented artists today working in obscurity. He was a wonderful painter to be sure, but as I have discovered talent alone is not enough to be successful. He had to have done something more

His "more" was the unique value to he offered to his target market, the English nobility of his day. He helped them elevate their status in society. That was very important to these people. He celebrated their wealth and status and portrayed them in his portraits as rich, noble, and beautiful. He idealized them. That was why he was so successful.  He was also extremely well connected in his target market. He knew people. It was a status symbol to even get a meeting with him. It meant you were somebody. And if he agreed to paint you, well, that really meant you were somebody. He wouldn’t just paint everyone. You had to be the right kind of person with the right connections.

Sargent and I are both portrait painters but with very different missions. He elevated aristocracy; I help people honor and celebrate their family relationships. He catered to nobility; I cater to moms. Their children are very important to them and they invest a lot of time, energy and money into their well-being.

Like Sargent, my portraits are not available to everyone. I can only do a limited amount per year, so I have to be selective about who I take on as a client. We both cater to a luxury market, but I focus on helping them celebrate their family relationships. It’s all about finding your “tribe” and celebrating their values. Helping them, serving them and making their lives better.