The Artist_s Magazine 2016-03__

(avery) #1

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same with her. I also worked on the mirror as


Glenn or Yael posed ( 11 ). During sessions with


Glenn, I caught the relection of the back of


his head. My arm and palette table appear in


the relection as well—my salute to Velázquez.


Jarno: The Active Child


hroughout the months of painting I’d felt


sometrepidationknowingI’deventuallyhave


to contend with the igure of Jarno. As an active


8-year-old, he was often in motion. his is an


asset in playing sports—not so much in posing


foranartisttryingtopaintalikeness.Mysalva-


tion came in the form of the computer game


WorldofMinecraft.Videosofpeopleplayingthe


game fascinated Jarno, thus enabling him to


stay still. Like his sister, he has long, blond hair


thatwasfuntopaint.IthinkIdidmanageto


getalikenessofhim( 12 ).


Denouement


Duringtheinalweeks,afterthesittersleft


fortheday,Icontinuedtoworkonpartsof


thepaintingthattheydidnotdirectlyoccupy,


suchasthewalls,carpet,chairsandmirror.


Weallsensedthatthepaintingwasnearing


completion. Several months had passed since


wehadstartedtheproject,andwehadspenta


lotoftimetogetherinthestudio.Igotthefeel-


ing that Glenn and Yael were a bit wistful.


Pressuretoinishthepaintingtookonan


unexpected urgency in mid-August. Glenn


had been of ered a job at a PBS ai liate in New


Hampshire, and he planned to accept it. He


would be moving out of town immediately. We


did manage to arrange one i nal sitting during


which I worked on parts of his i gure and head.


I felt I also needed a little more time with


Yael. I could tell she was a bit concerned about


the way she looked in the portrait, although


she was reluctant to say so. She admitted that


she felt that the painting made her look a little


stressed. What mother in today’s world with


a career and a family wouldn’t be? We had


one more session in November before I had


the painting photographed (see Ksander Hicks


Family Portrait, at right). Yael is a beautiful and


striking woman. I didn’t consciously soften her


likeness, but I did look more deeply into what


I was seeing as I painted. I think we’re both


happy that we had this i nal sitting.


Sadly, since I painted the portrait of the


Ksander Hicks family, Yael and Glenn have


separated. h e role of artists who paint from


life is a limited one. h eir job is to studiously


regard events, people and things as they appear


on the surface. I have known both Yael and


Glenn for many years, and I like and respect


them both. Painting them along with their


children, Jarno and Solveig, was a privilege.


In any social situation one senses that there


may be a dif erent dynamic between people


privately than when they interact socially. h e


nature of life is change. ■


11 12


ABOVE LEFT: 11.

(July 23) Refl ections

in the mirror

ABOVE RIGHT: 12.

(September 21)

Development of boy

seated on the fl oor

(Jarno)

OPPOSITE: Ksander

Hicks Family Por-

trait (oil on canvas,

72x60)

Learn More


ONLINE


For a link to Tim

Kennedy’s feature

article from the

June 2014 issue

of The Artist’s

Magazine, go to

artistsnetwork.com/

learnmore2016.
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