A family portrait - a striking image tells a story

A family portrait

I would like to share with you a painting series I have been working on portraying family life. These are based on photographs of my family and my boyfriend's family taken back between 1930 and 1950. Here are two from the series.

This one is of my boyfriend's grandparents (the man with the dog and the woman seated next to the young woman).

There were a few other shots in sequence that I used for reference. (The campy black velvet horse painting on the wall we still have.) I chose to paint this in sepia as I felt adding color would distract from an already strong visual image. I don't know who the photographer is, a family member or friend I would assume, but I love this exact moment caught in time. Each face seems to emit an underlying story. Even the boxer ("I sure would like to go outside right now").

This is another shot where I was able to see the lamp and edge of the Chesterfield. The dog is now getting some love from my boyfriend's mother, Dorothy.

I took a few photos part way through the process. I drew a graph on the photo and sized it up at an equal ratio onto the canvas. Working on a toned ground the line work was penciled. I built up the middle and darker values next. Then began to work in the lighter values and worked the volume of the shapes. Layering up until I'm just left with the finer detail, whites and darkest values. It took me about three weeks.

And the black velvet painting continues to be enjoyed! A friend of my boyfriend's mother painted the portrait of "Laddie" her Palomino horse. She was an avid equestrian and quite good apparently.

Dorothy "Dot" and Laddie.

'Nana in her chair'.

This is my boyfriend's grandmother, Nora, on his father's side. The photo was taken by his father when he was a teenager. The story goes Nora "Nana" would occasionally be caught (by the children) napping in the late afternoon sitting in the big chair by the doors to the front hall. Later she would say she was resting her eyes and planning that evening's meal.

I was struck by the endearing pose. Something I'm sure most of us have witnessed at some point. Or even been the subject ourselves.

I had to add a bit more real estate to the original composition (you can see the edits in the photo). I felt the the piece would benefit from more air above and below her.

My boyfriend's father was quite a shutter bug and took marvelous photos of his family and life around him capturing beautifully candid moments in time. Telling a story. Thank you for the inspiration, Bobby! RIP.