100 OIL PORTRAITS IN 100 DAYS - Auntie Trude, 39/100, © Carol Nelson Fine Art





Day 39

This is by far the hardest portrait I've done so far. I spent the better part of Super Bowl Sunday working on it. I photographed it, uploaded it, and then saw something that needed to be corrected, fixed the problem, and repeated the procedure FOUR times. This may not even be the final version.

The subject is my beloved Auntie Trude. She is 92 years old and sharp as a tack. She lives in her own home and walks every day, except when there's a blizzard or icy conditions up in Duluth, MN. She's active in her church, is always cooking and baking, and has tons of friends. The original photo, while having excellent lighting, was a little bland in color, so I changed the color of her shirt to something a little jazzier to match her personality.

13 comments:

Autumn Leaves said...

She is so beautiful, Carol. I'll bet she has some wonderful stories to tell. I so want to be like Auntie Trude myself someday. A job well done and a piece I hope and pray you will cherish for yourself always.

SarahBowie said...

I knew it was a relative before I scrolled down to the read the text. I could see the love in your portrayal. Great job!

Saundra Lane Galloway said...

Hang in there Carol! She is such a cutie!

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness! This is my favorite so far. You were able to highlight that wonderful and vibrant personality Auntie Trude has. This is obviously part of her secret to her quality longevity.

Paintings by Irit Bourla said...

I love them all ,Carol, but this one on top of my list.
Great!!!!

dominique eichi said...

Fun portraits with such liveliness. Love this one

Unknown said...

Carol, I really love your portraits. I come by often to take a peek! They are amazing!

Edward Burton said...

Wonderful warm portrait, Carol. She looks like such a nice lady.

Connie Michael said...

What a wonderful portrayal of Aunt Trude's spirit. She looks and sounds like a beautiful lady! This one is my favorite to date.

Sue said...

Aunt Trude is so cool?

Kathleen said...

I have to vote for Auntie Trude's portrait; it's easy to look beautiful when you are young, but to keep that glow and spirit after 94 years and to have it shine through on a portrait, that is truly something!

Kathleen Wackowski

Debbie said...

Carol, thank you so much for painting my grandmother. You have captured in your portrait, the zest for life that she has. Everyone that meets her immediately loves her and rightfully so. I can only hope that some of that runs down the family genes. And we are both about the same height, so the genes may fit. HA HA! Thank you again! I vote for Auntie Trude.

Lokelani Forrest said...

Carol...I think it is such a challenge to paint older people. They have so much character in their faces that I find it hard to capture all that beauty that life has embedded in those faces. You've done a great job on Auntie Trude.