Renee: You are the second artist I know whose first commission was posthumous. Good for you for taking it on.
For me, it was a real wake up call about what portraiture was all about - our clients want something more than just a painted image. A portrait becomes a focal point for the client to love and honor someone who is part of their life, or to memorialize and remember someone they loved who has passed. It is a vessel of a sort and it holds spiritual energy.
Ok, maybe a little fluffy, but that is how I see it...
