Last year I had an oil on canvas portrait that I had commissioned of Audie last year.
It measures 24 x 36, and was painted by an African artist that I know. She had previously painted an oli of my Son as well as my wife.
She has never been to art schooll and has very little education. Interestingly, she works under a 40w light bulb in a studio with a dirt floor. At age 34 her eyesight is starting to fail as she works in such detail.
In any case, I went to see her with the black and white photo that is displayed here and asked her to paint it.
It didn't dawn on me that it was a B&W and she wouldn't know the colors to paint.
She responded "I can paint it but I don't know what colors" so I went back to my hotel room, broke out the laptop, and searched for hours for good examples of every Medal, Ribbon, Device, etc, to incude close-ups of the Oak Leaf Clusters and even a period color photo of a Officers unform tunic, printed it all out on a color printer and took it back to her.
She asked me what color background and I told her "you're the artist, why don't you decide."
It was a Monday evening and I picked up this completely finished work on Friday, completely dried and rolled.
Take particular notice to the eyes (so lifelike) the hair, and the shadows under the Fouragerre (shoulder cord) and under some of the Medals that exactly mirror the photo as to placement.
My only issue was the CMOH neck ribbon was a little too dark but other than that it is near perfect and as far as I am concerned the best portrait of Audie I have ever seen.
I think it is near picture perfect!
It now hangs above my fireplace.
I am making a duplicate post of this in the General Sujects.
What do you all think?
Dave
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