Girl’s oil portrait by Boston portrait artist Sonia Hale, Oil portrait artists
20 x 16
oil on linen
I was contacted by the mother of this dear little girl, as she was looking for at oil portrait artists to paint her four girl old daughter. As I am a local portrait artist the process was very easy for both of us, though I enjoy meeting clients all around the country! She had a toddler son and would soon have another baby on the way. We wanted for the portrait painting to be focused on her face and chose for me to paint the portrait commission as a head and shoulders oil portrait.
I brought a tall stool to her home (she was local to me) and we set her up. She had the perfect dress on and there was no need for additional wardrobe options. Her dear face lit up my camera. We looked at the photographs on my lap top to select the best reference photograph for the portrait painting. The best portrait artists look for a simple, compelling composition in their portraits. We were drawn to this image of her looking confident and dear. It did not take long! Soon I was on my way and eager to start working on the painted portrait commission at home.
The mother had a family portrait tradition in her family from New York City and had shown me pastel portraits of her aunt and grandmother. We discussed whether I should work in pastel or oil, but ultimately I felt that she should choose oil as they are easier to care for, especially with the humidity in New England.
The mother was wowed by this oil portrait and it was truly a joy to work on dear Maisie’s face. This was to be a group of three portrait commissions for this family. I painted her sons James and Andy on this site as well. Each time her child was turning four, she contact me and I’d work with her on the new portrait commission. Professional oil portrait artists enjoy working with families so closely over a period of years. Often I get asked to paint the family dog after all the children are painted. I usually paint my portraits from photographs: with child portrait paintings it helps the process and keeps the stress level very low. I take photographs in usually less than an hour, and we review them on my laptop. Classic portrait paintings are an investment, but with an heirloom quality, these will be passed along for generations and are a true historic piece for the family.
