No silly, not a committee that oversees weddings, but a lovely bride-to-be that commissioned a painting as a grooms gift for her fiance! What an immeasurable honor. They were married this past Sunday, September 9th and now that the gifts have been exchanged and I no longer risk spoiling the surprise, I'm going to show you the completed piece! (click it or scroll to the bottom to see it larger)
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18 x 20 inches, Acrylic on Wood Panel |
I was given no direction other than general scale and tone and so subject was completely open! Both an exciting and a daunting undertaking. Though it was a wedding gift, I realized I didn't want to make the portrait too wedding-centric. I didn't want to focus on that one day but on the lifetime the couple is planning together. That's when the idea came to surround the embracing couple with animals that mate for life! My research on the subject brought into light all sorts of creatures in the animal kingdom that are fiercely loyal and monogamous - termites, albatross, wolves - who knew!? But to avoid other connotations some of those animals carry (destruction, doom, general naughtiness) I decided on animals that have a visual elegance and/or a ingrained history of being symbols of love everlasting - swans, turtle doves, and french angel fish! Below is the original sketch and some details of the painting and animals.
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A close up of the flower bouquet - I had a little fun here painting thick & loose which I don't often find opportunity to do in my style. |
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The final sketch |
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Detail of the Swans at her feet |
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Detail of the French Angel Fish |
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Detail of the Two Turtle Doves |
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(I put this here so you could see it larger - in case you didn't click the first one ;P ) |