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Lady Artist Known in Three Continents

Lady Artist Known in Three Continents

By Kandace Boone

Portrait painting has reached its peak in the 20th century and an American artist currently residing on an Italian island is making much money on three continents. This abstract painter said that the pendulum of art is back to swinging toward the figurative. The human aspect and visage is again the focus.

Right now, painted portraits are the preference of industries, universities, and hospitals who used to be content with photographs of their presidents and board chairmen. The rich and the famous prize portraits as a symbol of affluence and a heritage for their children.

Her brush has traveled to Europe, the United States, and Africa where her husband used to head the African operation for an American cosmetics firm. Though she has access to her sister's studio as well as her own, she would rather do the portrait painting at the house of her subject.

To paint the portrait in the studio, the artist would need around three weeks. In comparison, she can paint a portrait on location in five days. The location of where the artist does her work, whether at home, an estate, or farm, affects the quality of her painting. The kind of home the portrait will hang in is something that affects her, which is why she often eats with the subject.

The autobiography of one well known actress has a cover which is the same as the portrait that the artist made of the actress. The makers of a famous line of greeting cards, the makers of tire and rubber, and the makers of a fa mouse tomato ketchup of 57 varieties fame are among the clients whose portraits she has already made. Included also in the portraits she has already done are those of a Dominican monk and a tribal chief. The moment her portraits spread across the globe, she was just surprised by the sudden offers that came to her.

She creates this flattering effect on the portraits of her subjects. The matter of costume is discussed between subject and artist in a negotiating manner. Whether they wear hunting pinks, university robes, or a favorite dress, the costume choice of her subject is respected by her. Her personal preference for the portrait is an informal dress, such as a skirt and sweater. She makes suggestions on makeup and insists that hairdos be at least a day old.

She engages in conversation with her subjects while painting. When she sees the lip movement, she can find what she needs to create the smile. She explained that if a person is bored you will be able to see it in the portrait. Clients usually study a book of photographs of her work in order to decide whether they want a formal or casual pose, head and shoulders, half or three quarter figure, or full figure.

Sketches are often done with oil, ink, and tempera in sepia tones as well. Sometimes she does several sketches of a person on one canvas, the most detailed sketch being in the foreground, which is a charming way of portraying children. There is a resemblance between the product and a page from a sketch book. Her career began 20 years ago when she and her sister had a two woman show of their abstracts in New York and the gallery owner insisted on hanging a self portrait which the artist had done for fun. It was the main attraction of the show.