I wanted to share this blog post with you because it is beautifully written and I found it very insightful. A big part of my business is in providing portraiture for families and businesses.

The post explains why portraits are so important not only for keeping memories alive but also for how they impact on the people we love and care about who are no longer with us.

I hope you find it interesting and insightful as well.

http://amongusart.com/2013/09/why-portraits-matter/

The first thing you notice when you walk into the main building of the Harvard Art Museums is a portrait of the museum’s founder, Harry Elkins Widener. Across the hall is a portrait of his mother Eleanor Elkins Widener.

A large part of the Harvard Art Museums’ collection consists of portraits. They have an amazing array of paintings, prints and photographs in their collection.

Portraits are such an integral part of our culture that it isn’t always easy to see how important they are. A portrait can be a moving memorial to a loved one or a way for us to express our own identity or simply something pretty to look at. But portraits also tell us about who we are as a society and how we feel about our history.

Art is a record of the past and it is also a record of the present. When you have portraits in your home, you are able to capture images of people who may have passed away. You can see them smiling at you from a photo on the wall. It is easy to create a bridge from the past to the present with art.

There are many different ways that you can incorporate art into your life and home. If you like portraits, there are many ways that you can display them in your home. You can get prints of famous works of art or even make your own work of art if you feel comfortable doing so.

You can also start collecting smaller pieces that are more affordable, such as photographs or paintings in frames. It doesn’t matter if they are done by a professional or if they were done by someone close to you, because they will still be meaningful to you and make your home more personal.

If you like something that someone has made, then it makes sense that you would want to display it somewhere in your home. This type of portrait will never truly leave your home because it is a part of who you are and where you come from. Photographs are great for this because they show the people who might not be around anymore, but

If you are looking for a gift for a loved one, or a special memento to celebrate an occasion, why not commission your own portrait?

We can offer bespoke portraits of your pet or horse, or family members and friends. Or, we can recreate the look of a photograph in paint.

The finished painting will be as unique as the subject itself – no two paintings are ever the same – and so every portrait is truly a bespoke work of art.

Photographs can be sent over for a quotation or ideas discussed over the phone. A deposit is required before we get started on your portrait, but we offer payment plans if required. Prices start from £250.00 (inc VAT) for a 10″ x 8″ oil on canvas. Larger sizes are available on request.

The gallery is the only place where the portraits are shown. I have a number of portraits, which I am happy to share but they do not get seen by many people. Having them on display in a public space makes more people aware of the fact that it is possible to commission a portrait and that there are artists around who will do this kind of work. The portraits also remind viewers that people in earlier times had different facial features than people today.

Portraits evoke an emotional response from viewers, whether it be laughter, tears or a smile. They can also trigger other thoughts such as what were those people doing when their portrait was taken? What was their life like? How did they live and how did they die? A portrait can even make viewers question their own lives and aspire to be more like the subject of the portrait.

The importance of portraiture is perhaps most evident during a funeral service when family members gather to say good-bye to their loved one. The portraits displayed at the funeral service may provide a sense of comfort for grieving family members because they can see a visual representation of their loved one’s life.

The portrait painting, photography or other artists have the ability to capture the subject’s likeness, demeanor and personality. These portraits are not just a visual representation of the subject but a permanent memory.

When we meet for the first time with one of our clients, we start by listening to their needs, ideas and desires. We want to know their expectations in order to offer them our best work. Our team is made up of likeminded artists that are capable of providing a diverse range of styles and techniques that will bring your project to life.

Many people have a story of their grandmother or grandfather and their artwork. These stories usually involve them saying something like, “Well, Pop was just never the same after that accident he had.”

My husband’s grandfather is like that.

His grandfather was a talented artist who loved to draw and paint. His children inherited his artistic talent and his grandchildren inherited his love of art. My husband says that his grandfather always spoke with great longing for the days when he could sit down at a table and paint all day. That longing never left him, although it was gone physically for many years because of an injury.

Who would have thought to ask my husband’s grandfather how he felt about his family’s artistic ability? I guess we don’t always realize what we are missing until it is taken away from us.

Goodbye for now,

Carole Royer

http://www.caroleroyermiscreations.blogspot.com/