Why it matters

 At the party

Acrylic on canvas

36 x 48 inches (3 x 4 feet)

Barbara Muir © 2011

There are a million reasons to commission a
portrait.  I know some of them from the paintings
I've done over the years -- but one of the most moving
jobs is to paint a commission based on nostalgia.
Some people want to capture their children as
they are, or a moment in time when their parents
were young.  What I've begun to realize is that even
when they start out for a formal reason, all portraits
end up being emotional and sentimental.  I think
my youngest likes living in a room covered in
portraits of himself at different stages in his life.
Whether they were quick sketches or longer studies,
bits of his life are there in a much more powerful
way than a snapshot can convey.

Edward B. Gordon posted a moving portrait on his
blog today of the actress Maria Kwiatkowsky. She
died on July 4th, at 26 years old.  Edward did a
series of small portraits of her for his blog and he
made her live for his readers.

I am posting the full painting of my At the party
today, which captures the joyous feeling of a loving
family out for a special evening.  The painting
conveys a moment in time that is already history
because the young women are growing up, and have
changed of course. I'm glad that in the painting they are
happy and enjoying their family.  I wish them a lifetime
of happiness.

Have a creating-joyous-and-meaningful-work day.