The family was so pleased with the first painting of their daughter,
they commissioned a second of their son.
I don't know how this image appears on your computer, but on mine it is blurry and out of focus. Click on the image and it takes you to a better view.
I was talking with my mom about portraiture in general and something interesting came up. How do you suppose these portraits will influence the young people represented? Will these increase their sense of self worth? Will these help motivate them to a better life?
What does it mean when someone values you enough to invest in the commissioning of a portrait? A photograph is nice, but in today's society we take billions of photographs each year and that number keeps increasing, but how many hand painted portraits do we have?
These portraits were painted for one of my coworkers. He doesn't have a great income and lives very modestly. I pretty much cut the price in half for him, because he is a good man and very dedicated to his family. The value of my time pretty much just barely matched minimum wage. I think my time is worth much more than that, but sometimes there is more to life than making money. I think making a difference in peoples lives is more important.
How much do you think a portrait like this is worth? If you had unlimited resources, how much would you be willing to pay? Suppose though, you don't have unlimited resources? Suppose you live paycheck to paycheck and struggle to make ends meet? Wouldn't you still want to have something like this for your children? I think it is good for a child's self esteem to know that someone cares enough about them to make such an effort. Unfortunately most families struggle to put food on the table, buy clothes, pay for health insurance, put a roof over their heads and keep up with the current social media technology. Actual art is a luxury now reserved for the rich or close friends and relatives of true artists, and a few lucky, wise investors.
Just some of the thoughts I had. Art for the common man, nowadays only exists in digital media or in mass produced factory settings. True art is often only available for the wealthy to own, but fortunately we still have museums and art galleries, in which original works of art can be appreciated by all. Perhaps someday you will see one of my pieces in such a setting, or if you are fortunate enough to obtain one, in your own home.
As I age, I expect I will produce fewer and fewer works, until the day I cease painting though it seems the supply will be endless! So for the time being, my work is still relatively affordable, as with all things, depending on ones priorities.
Time to visit with my dad now. He was admitted into the hospital the other day, something about getting his heart, lungs and kidneys back in proper working order. I talked with him on the phone and he seemed chipper and comfortable. I think he still has a few good years left in him. After all he has a great grandchild on the way...
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