5 of My Favorite Portraits and the Stories Behind Them
When I sit down at my desk every morning, I make a list of my priorities for the day. At the top of the list every morning is to make sure that each portrait we send out is absolutely perfect. From Monday to Friday, Liz and I work to create beautiful pieces of art that celebrate the important people and memories in life. All of our portraits are extremely special and unique, each with its own meaningful backstory. Several of our portraits stand out as especially meaningful, and five of these are featured below.
#5: Mom & Dad's 35th Wedding Anniversary Gift
To celebrate her parents' 35th wedding anniversary, our customer Mahncy commissioned a portrait of their wedding day. Mahncy snuck the photo from her parents' house and gave it to us to draw as a surprise gift. We have drawn a number of wedding and anniversary portraits, but this is the longest marriage we have ever been a part of commemorating. The intricate details of the portrait give the subjects life-like expressions, and their happiness is clearly apparent. Special older photos fade and are often not given the attention they deserve, so it is always wonderful to make a special memory come to life again.
#4: Memorable Father-Daughter Fishing Trip
We always say that iconic family photos make awesome portraits! This is the perfect example. This portrait captures Zoe and her father's fishing trip in the 1980s. Growing up, Zoe and her dad loved to go fishing and hunting together. This was the first (documented) time Zoe caught a fish. You can see the pride in Dad's eyes, the joy in Zoe's expression, and the love shared between them. It was such a meaningful moment that Zoe decided to commission a portrait from the photo and give it to her father for his 60th birthday. How special is that?
#3: A Pet Portrait for a Beloved Friend
As an animal lover, I know that beloved pets are furry members of the family. One such pet was Zeus the dog. Zeus' family adored him and were heartbroken when he passed away. As a special gift to his mom for Mother's Day, Brooks commissioned this beautiful tribute to Zeus to hang on the wall of their family home. Now, Zeus' happy expression lives on in his portrait and, in many ways, he is still at home with the people he loved.
#2: A Special Art Commission: The Church
This portrait is particularly meaningful to me personally because it was drawn by my sister-in-law (and Grace Portraits CEO) Liz for my sister Aimee's wedding. This portrait features the church Aimee and her husband Joe were married in. I watched Liz hand-draw the magnificent details of the portrait, from the outline of each individual stone to the big clock set to the time of their wedding (3 o'clock). The church holds extra significance because it is also where my parents were married over 30 years ago. This wedding portrait is a unique and truly meaningful piece, and it will be treasured in our family for years (and generations!) to come.
#1: The First Family Portrait
Our customer, Courtney, ordered a unique and touching family portrait for her husband's Christmas gift. The story behind this family's first portrait is absolutely beautiful (I admit it, I cried). This portrait captures the moment when Courtney and her husband were able to hold their premature daughter for the first time. Courtney wrote, "This photo captures one, if not the, first moment the three of us were not only together as a family, but the first time my husband had ever held a baby. And in that moment she grabbed onto our fingers as if uniting us as a family." This is one of my absolute favorite portraits that we have ever created. It was wonderful to help Courtney and her family commemorate this amazing moment in a very special way.
Conclusion
Meaningful portraits come in all shapes, sizes, and subjects - from buildings, to babies, to beloved pets. If you have a special photo, turn it into a piece of art! Sign up for a free photo consultation below.
Your turn! Tell us about one of your favorite photographs and what it means to you below.
