Posthumous Portraits

Garth Herrick · 06-13-2004, 10:09 AM

Mary,

This is powerful. I would try to do a portrait with this image. This image is engaging and draws the viewer in to interact with the girl in a very living way. If that is her sister sitting beside her and supporting her, then this image is even all the more powerful. This is a little girl who was full of the love of life and still is in this composition. While the composition is unconventional, it is extremely effective; it has good emotional content, it really sucks the viewer in like a magnet, and there is a built in harmony of cool colors and values to frame the warmth in her face.

This so much reminds me of the posthumous portrait I did of the little boy in 1989, It has the same immediacy and playful engagement (Mary, I wish I knew where that digital file was so I could share it with you). The boy's head was similarly turned (but his torso was facing forward and the composition was vertical instead of horizontal). I invented some playful interaction between the boy's transformer toy and the Izod alligator stitched on his shirt. as if they were about to battle each other in the boy's imagination. It was a fun painting.

Mary, I think you have a powerful image for reference that could make an even more powerful portrait. Go for it!

Garth

Mary Sparrow · 06-13-2004, 10:16 AM

Hi Garth,

I have not recieved any pictures directly from the family yet, I just saw a memorial page to her and this picture smacked me in the face.

I hadn't even considered doing the whole image, I was just thinking of a head and shoulders. Based on your work that I have seen, it doesn't surprise me that you see this the way you do. The person beside her isn't her sister, but her mother.

So, you would do the whole thing, even the pool?

Garth Herrick · 06-13-2004, 11:13 AM

The horizontal format is interesting, and the pool adds a context, but there is no need to be very specific about it. Maybe everything behind the girl could be a little less focused than she is. I just liked the way there's a ready-made context for her pose. I like the way her mother frames her, it is very supportive. The bright pool in the distance explains the intimate enveloping shadow that the girl peers out from.

An historic painter who might have handled this challenging lighting masterfully was Joaquin Sorolla, a Spanish contemporary of Sargent and Zorn. Wow, could he paint people in and out of the bright sun on the beach! He's worth a look for inspiration.

Garth

Marvin Mattelson · 06-13-2004, 12:03 PM

I think your intentions are very noble and I respect you for that, but personally, I wouldn't consider doing a painting from this photo.

Mary Sparrow · 06-13-2004, 12:07 PM

AH, this is very interesting to me. I respect both of you very much. I will say that it doesn't surprise me that Garth likes this one and Marvin doesn't.

Julianne Lowman · 07-13-2004, 12:16 AM

So, what photo did you choose?

I have done several posthumous portraits and find themthe most rewarding of all portraiture. They truly require almost a direct conduit to heaven which, if you are in the proper frame of mind, will pour out inspiration and talent beyond your wildest imagination. That said, you will KNOW the photo reference when you see it. It may be a composition of several, but be careful not toget into the "cut and paste" world. This causes many, many problems.

Keep us posted as to your progress.

Hugs from Alabama!