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People have been asking me for years was the reason I never
seemed to age because I had a portrait of myself in the
attic a la Dorian Gray. Up until now I could honestly say "NO".
Little did I know that the shy woman with the long blonde hair
at my gym who I would say "hello" to everyday would
change that. That woman, Janet Snell turned out to be an incredibly
talented artist.
She asked me one day "Would you like to sit for a portrait?" I have been asked
to do photo shoots before and to pose nude for art classes, but never a portrait in oils.
Janet had shown me some examples of her work. She had collaborated with her sister,
Cheryl, a writer, on several books. Cheryl would write and Janet would illustrate. I was
taken aback by her talent. Being a former painting student in college myself, I
appreciated her work.
I went to her
house to do some photographs from which she would work. The artist showed me several
examples of her work. She also showed me some of her Mother's paintings, who is also
tremendously talented. Talent obviously runs in her family. Her Mother's work is more
realistic as Janet's which tends to be more abstract.
Several weeks after the photo shoot and having Janet study my face for my best angles, she
asked me to see the portrait. I was shocked at the finished piece. It looked exactly like
me, but nothing like the photographs she had taken. I did ask her to remove the black spot
on my nose, which she said was a shadow. I thought it made me look like Margaret Hamilton
in "The Wizard of Oz". She laughed and said her Mother didn't like the spot
either. For the record, I have no black spot on my nose or warts on it either.
I showed the portrait to
several friends of mine. Being abstract, I didn't think it would be everyone's cup of tea.
Sometimes if people can't recognize a bowl of fruit they automatically hate it. To my
surprise and delight, EVERYONE loved it! They marveled at the talent that went into it and
envied me for being asked. My Mother did ask WHY I didn't smile in the portrait. I
answered "It's a painting, not a senior class yearbook picture!"
The portrait is hanging in my
home and has become a treasure of mine. Maybe someday when my great, great grandchild
start to get creeped out by their old Grand Pappy looking down on them for the wall it may
be put into the attic. But, for now it hangs in a place of honor in my home. After my
death, it may be donated to The Streetsboro Art Museum. Not sure if it will fit in with the
string art, paintings of Elvis on black velvet and dogs playing poker that it's famous
for, but we'll see. So far, the painting hasn't appeared to age to me....Keep you posted.
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