Brainerd, MN portrait commission

Good Monday morning!  Here is a recently finished painting that was commissioned by a client in Nisswa, MN.  He wanted to surprise his wife with the painting because the reference photo was taken a couple of years ago of his daughter who doesn't take naps anymore and the beloved family pet who they fear is not going to be here much longer due to advanced age.  This moment was captured with an iphone camera with bright, cool, snow reflected, light coming in the window behind the sofa.  This gave me a very challenging lighting situation as the subjects had two different light sources falling on them.  Cool light from the window and warm light from a lamp.  I made the decision to choose one temperature, the cool, blue light from the window, to prevail.  The next challenge was to lighten all the areas that were not directly in the light.  I know from experience that those shadow areas would not have been that dark in real life.  The next picture is the actual reference photo I was given.

Painting the little girl and the dog was actually the easiest part.  I struggled most with the couch.  Because it is so shadowed and neutral it was hard to tell the actual color, I felt like I needed to get it just right. 

I think it turned out pretty nice in the end.  This next photo is my favorite:)

Now the exciting part!  I got to deliver this painting in person.  I live in Fayetteville AR and the client lives in Minnesota.  My dad's side of the family lives in MN and it just so happened that they were having the "Gross Family Picnic" that I rarely get to attend.  So I left the kids with the hubby and rode the 12hrs with my dad to Minneapolis and went to the picnic.  Then rented a car and drove 2 1/2 hrs north to Nisswa to meet this family.  They were SO wonderful!  Barely out of my car and the entire family greeted me with hugs.  They immediately whisked me away to lunch, by boat, to Bar Harbor Supper Club on Gull Lake.  Then that evening we traveled by boat yet again to Madden's Resort where we played a little tennis and ate pizza.  Let me say that my actual tennis game that night didn't come close to the tennis game I had talked up beforehand.  How embarrassing!  I blame it on the nerves and the turf courts and the humidity.  Yeah, that's what it was.

The next day we visited Grandview Lodge and Resort.  Beautiful!  The gardens and grounds are perfectly kept.  Not a dead flower anywhere!  I WILL take my family there someday!

I can't tell you what a wonderful experience this was for me.  To have someone appreciate what I do and show such kindness and hospitality was just the boost I needed to keep me moving forward in my art career.  It can be so hard but also so very rewarding too.  I hope that isn't the last trip I make to Nisswa and Brainerd.