ArtByHelen.com - Portraits

Portraits

"The portrait is one of the most curious art forms. It demands special qualities in the artist, and an almost total kinship with the model." Henri Matisse
I always thought that painting portraits was the ultimate an artist could achieve, and it intimidated me. However, in my quest to continuously try new things to improve my art, I finally got up the courage to attempt portraits. I started with my deceased ancestors, knowing that they wouldn't complain if I didn’t quite capture their likenesses. With the support and encouragement of my colored pencil teacher, Nan Klein, I have continued to show improvement. All portraits were done in colored pencil, and some with a soft pastel background.
Portraits are not for sale, and no prints are available. Portrait commissions are not being taken at this time.
"Helen D. Gromadzki" *NEW Original size: 11 x 14, on Stonehenge paper, using Caran d'Ache and Faber Castell colored pencils" One of the artist's hardest jobs is to please ourselves, so attempting a self portrait was daunting. I chose to paint an image of myself when I was 42 years old, before I got wrinkles and gray hair - less work! It was also tempting to enhance the portrait, but I resisted that impulse and stayed true to the original photo as much as my talent would allow.	Click picture to enlarge
"Caitlin Nicole Gromadzki" *NEW Original size: 11 x 14, on Stonehenge paper" Here is our first grandchild, Caitlin, at age 3 yrs. She's vivacious, imaginative, and very quick to learn. She loves teaching her little brother, Andrew, his letters and numbers, and they play so well together. She brings joy to everyone who knows her!	Click picture to enlarge
"Andrew John Gromadzki" Original size: 8 x 10, on Stonehenge paper" Meet Andrew John, our 2nd grandchild. He was born on Thanksgiving Day, 2008, to a very happy John & Theresa. He joins his big sister, Caitlin Nicole, to round out their family. He is a little charmer, who loves cars and trucks! The original is in the collection of his parents.	Click picture to enlarge
"Grandmother Annie Dole" Original size: 11 x 14" My first portrait attempt. I chose my grandmother for my first portrait because her eyes were so kind and gentle, and she had such a sweet smile. When painting her eyes, I felt a loving connection with her, as if they were speaking to me in some way. It was a very moving experience.	Click picture to enlarge
"Great Grandfather William Dole, Sr." Original size 11 x 14" This is my second portrait attempt, done in sepia tones. I was given several sepia photos of him in his Civil War uniform, but I liked this pose best. I wanted the challenge of rendering his likeness in a sepia painting.	Click picture to enlarge
"Aunt Abbie" Original size 11 x 14" My dear Aunt Abbie always held a special place in my life, and she made me feel special. I will always remember her for her generosity of spirit, her sense of humor, and her ability to laugh at herself. I loved her laugh! Photo is of the framed portrait as it appeared in a judged and juried show. The judge said, "Nice portrait. I love the monochromatic feel of it."	Click picture to enlarge
"Andrew Gromadzki" Original size 11 x 14" Continuing with my quest to capture our ancestors, I chose to paint my father-in-law's portrait next. I wanted the challenge of painting his shiny helmet as well as his leather vest. It was entered in a judged and juried show, where the judge commented: "Wonderful portrait, and great composition."	Click picture to enlarge
"Donna Leigh Macaulay" Original size 11 x 14" Donna is the deceased daughter of my oldest and dearest friends, Bert and Dave. This was Bert's favorite picture of Donna, and I offered to paint it for them as a gift. It was a challenge to work from a small photo of her in her cheerleader's outfit, but we were pleased with the result.	Click picture to enlarge
"Caitlin Nicole" Original size 11 x 14" Our first grand daughter… my challenge here was to capture the face and flesh tones of an infant, and the fuzziness of her hat, while also marking the occasion of her First Christmas in 2006. Our long-awaited first grand child was a pleasure to paint!	Click picture to enlarge
"My Daddy!" Original size 11 x 14" This was the second time I had attempted to paint a portrait of living subjects, my son, John, and his daughter, Caitlin, at 9 mos. I guess someday, I should open up the back of the painting and redo John's eyes, which I wasn't pleased with, but I haven't gotten to it yet. Other than the eyes, I did capture the special moment between father and his adoring daughter.	Click picture to enlarge
"Cas Gromadzki" Original size 11 x 14" This portrait of my husband was one of my most challenging because I knew he would expect me to capture his exact likeness. He even used his engineer's ruler to check that I had! I also had a new challenge of painting a sweater to make it look knitted. Amazingly, he loved the finished product!	Click picture to enlarge
"Randy" Original size 11 x 14" This is another of my attempts at painting a living family member, my son. It was entered in a Judged and Juried Art Show at La Hacienda in The Villages, FL, where the judge said it was "A well rendered portrait with good facial color tone." It was my first attempt at using my new oil based colored pencils for a portrait, and I was very pleased with the result.	Click picture to enlarge
"Bertha and David" Original size 11 x 14" I painted this portrait as their 50th Wedding Anniversary gift. It was a challenge because it was my first attempt to paint two adults in the same portrait. Bert and Dave have been dear friends since our childhood, and it was my privilege to be able to honor them in this way. This photo is of the framed portrait.	Click picture to enlarge
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