RETURN OF THE LADY PORTRAIT
A few months ago, I was scrolling through Instagram and stopped on a Story shared by @melissasmrekar. She was talking about how cool it was that women used to have their portraits painted. Dressed to the nines, and often posed in a beautiful room, surrounded by things that were meaningful to them, they documented that moment in time in such a special way. “Let’s bring back the lady portrait!” Melissa said.
I got to thinking about how people treasure and pass down portraits of their ancestors from generation to generation. Some even collect portraits of strangers, found in antique malls to incorporate into gallery walls. Portraiture shouldn’t be a thing of the past, but a beautiful way to capture a moment in time. I wish I had a portrait of my mom or grandmothers. As a sentimental person who loves history and ancestry, I would be so into that. With all those thoughts in mind, I decided…I’ll just do it myself!
At work, we’ve collaborated with a local artist named Ashley Braithwaite quite a bit on paintings for clients. I know how gifted she is, so I didn’t think twice when I asked her if she’d be interested in doing mine. She was totally on board, so I sent her some inspiration photos of what I had in mind, and she created a proposal for me. Following are a few of the pages from the deck she sent:
Ashley requested that I bring a couple items of importance to me for the photoshoot, so she could include them in the painting. I loved that idea, so I gathered up a couple things from my parents’ house to bring along. I chose a framed embroidered Ross family crest, a little brass daily calendar that sits on a desk on the landing at the top of the stairs, and a McCarty Pottery* bird and bowl.
*McCarty Pottery is made in Marigold, Mississippi (I grew up in Madison and Jackson). Almost every MS woman I know collects McCarty in one or more of the four colors they make: jade, white, blue and nutmeg. Most of their pieces feature a brown line that runs down one side, which is meant to represent the MS river. My mom collects the blue and jade colors, and is a huge fan of their birds, so it was important to me to have those as a reminder of where I grew up.
After the photoshoot, Ashley produced six pencils sketches for me to review. I was able to tell her which ones were my favorites and why, and which angle or “face” I wanted her to use for the portrait.
After we went over the sketches together, she got to work on the painting. She sent me sneak peeks here and there, and after about a month, she was ready to present her work. It’s a little weird to see a portrait of yourself, and of course I had my silent worries of “what if it doesn’t look like me?”, but once she unveiled the finished portrait, all that faded away.
I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. I don’t know where I’ll end up hanging it, but for now, I can say that I’m so glad I did it. I’m so grateful to Melissa for the inspiration, and to Ashley for sharing her amazing gift!
My Lady Portrait
by Ashley Braithwaite