Last month, I was at the Prado Museum in Madrid, marveling at some of the greatest works ever painted by the old masters—Velázquez, Goya, El Greco. I was very inspired.
So now, I give you a sneak peek at my latest creation—a portrait of my daughter, Betsy, as she poses in front of the Früitzen Frozen Yogurt stand in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I have avoided painting portraits most of my life, so I challenged myself with this work. It's a snapshot of pure summer Americana—a drive-thru glowing with late-day sun, a bright striped shirt and sweet flavored ice. Technically, I like what's going on in this painting—the tension between light and dark, and the composition. Betsy tilted her head, so I compensated by rotating her to make her eyes level with the viewer, which in turn created the strong diagonals. There is an Edward Hopper feel to it—with a bit of Andy Warhol pop art-feel thrown in. Though it's unfinished, I believe I captured a bit of my daughter's intrinsic beauty and outgoing personality, despite the intense light and hard shadows. Incidentally, this happens to be my first painting that features a logo I designed—Früitzen—for my friend Jason Spangler.
It's an interesting thing, painting a portrait of your own child. Have I created an idealized image of her? Perhaps. I decided to remove her glasses from the painting. Since I am her father, I suppose I have ignored any flaws and painted the young woman whom I wanted to see. Doesn't every artist do this? We paint the person we want to see. Maybe I could portray Betsy more realistically, more flawed. But not in this painting. I may make a change here and there, but this painting is very close to finished.
And it is true that Betsy has become a beautiful young lady.