modeling

Two days ago, while volunteering at the front desk of the Durango Arts Center, I was approached by the Director of Education and asked to be a model (with clothing!) for the painting class the following day. Needless to say, I was shocked, honored, and a bit terrified. Shocked, because my self-image couldn't absorb the fact that anyone would want me to model for anything. Honored, because she did in fact invite me, furthermore, telling me that I had a great face and hair! Whoa, that went straight to my head -- no pun intended. And terrified because I was completely nervous about being the object of examination for three full hours, let alone having to sit perfectly still during that time (with breaks, thank goodness!).



I had to hold this awkward pose (above) for six sessions of twenty minutes each in the chair below.



I snapped a few photos of the painting stations of the painters who attended the session.









During the short breaks, I took photos of the four painters' progress. I post them below, beginning with the ones I liked the least to the ones I favored most.

Painter 1:








Painter 2:











Painter 3:





Painter 4, quick sketch:





Painter 4, more complete painting:





Painters 4 & 3:


I won't reveal the identities of painters 1, 2, & 3, out of respect for their privacy.

But I will identify painter 4, whose name is Peter Campbell, a very accomplished artist who teaches painting and is represented in numerous galleries. His website is worth a peek.

I was so impressed by his rendering of me that I asked how much he would charge me for it, and ended up agreeing to buy it for $75.00. For an artist who charges at least five times that amount for finished paintings, I clearly walked away with a deal!


This is a detail of the portrait I purchased. However, I don't have a great photo of it yet because I can't have it until he does some finishing touches on it and varnishes it. The most flattering rendition of the four paintings, by far, I will be happy to have it in my art collection.

Although I would never claim to compete with my maternal grandmother's stunning beauty, Peter's portrait of me does hint at a slight resemblance to her, which even now, gives me chills.

Below is a gorgeous pastel portrait of my grandmother, Marguerite Victorine Bulkley, done by an artist named Simone Bouvet in 1949. Oh, to be even half as beautiful as she!


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Once I actually have the portrait of me by Peter Campbell, I will post some better photos on this blog.