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.

The Highest Compliment

I don't advertise. Most of my business comes by way of referral. That's why I always ask my collectors if they can think of one or two people like themselves who might be interested in my work.

It’s a wonderful compliment when I receive a referral. It means my collector liked my work and enjoyed working with me enough to recommend me to their friends. Portraits are very personal and people only want to work with artists they like and can trust.

Getting a recommendation from a friend is like their seal of approval.

I was just talking to my friend and collector, Deede Sherman, this morning. Deede told me she had a friend, who is also her son's godmother, who has three kids, one of whom doesn't have a portrait. She gave her friend a heads up and said she would be expecting my call.  I am humbled and grateful that she likes me enough to promote me to her friends.

Another example of a referral I got was through my collector Bethany Owen. Bethany told her friend Sara Madasu about the portraits I was doing of her sons, and Sara commissioned me to paint portraits of her four children. Another client of mine, Colleen, introduced me to two of her friends, Micki Martin and Whitney Bricken, who also commissioned me to paint their children.

My speciality is painting and drawing children, so not everyone is a good fit for my work, and that's ok. That's why I ask my collectors if they can think of anyone like themselves who might be interested in my work. More than likely the people they hang out with have children, too.

I also realize that just because you have kids doesn’t mean you want a portrait, nor does it mean I will paint them. I only have a limited number of bookings each year.

But my current collectors are my number one source of new business. So to you who have referred me, my deepest and sincerest thanks. I am truly honored.

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:)

A Crippling Love

I had some really interesting conversations with moms this week. I'm working on a concept to do a series of blog posts on motherhood. My plan is to feature a portrait each month accompanied by an interview with the mother. The inspiration behind this project is to better understand what it's like to be a mom, both for myself and for my work. I want to be a mom one day and I want to help moms celebrate their relationships with their children through my work.

One friend I was talking with the other day is a new mom. I asked her what was one thing she would want her child to know. She told me about how much she loves her son. She said it's almost a crippling love. You feel so bound to this little person that you don't want to ever be apart from them. She said having a son completely rocked her world- it changed everything.

She said the love she feels for her son is like no other. It's different from the love she has for her husband, parents, and friends. Having a son completely rocked her world. It absolutely changed everything.

I have a question for moms out there:  When was the moment you realized the love you have your child was different than anything else you had experienced?

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