May 18, 2004

7:28 AM

Portraits. Desperately trying to think of a suitable present for my parents' Ruby Wedding, we came up with the idea of a family portrait. Photography would probably be safer, but how to find something distinctive (they already have a portrait from about 20 years ago, with us looking uncomfortable in "best" clothes, printed on "canvas", all in a heavy gilt frame, bleagh)? Alternatively, how do you arrange for painted portraits (hopefully in a style everyone likes, and is it horribly expensive)? To make things more complicated, we'll only be visiting for a few days, normally living the other side of the world (they're near Leeds, northern England). Advice? Recommendations?
posted by andrew cooke to (7 comments total)

A portrait's a good idea, but, as you say, you want something a bit different. I haven't used them personally, but I've heard good things about Venture. They're a nationwide group of photography studios that seem to specialise in contemporary, non-stuffy portraits, particularly of families.
posted by chrismear at 7:41 AM on May 18, 2004

my first reaction to that site was a grimace - i'm not sure i want my "statements" that pre-packaged. but then i swallowed my elitist pride and reconsidered, and really it looks pretty much like what we want. better, in fact, than i thought i'd find. thanks very much!

(although if anyone just happens to know of an under-appreciated but brilliant up-and-coming local artist so depserate for work they'll pay us to paint our portraits and then leave us with a work we can retire on in ten years time, that would be nice, too).
posted by andrew cooke at 8:15 AM on May 18, 2004

Does anyone know of a Venture-type outfit in the US or Canada?
posted by fionab at 10:32 AM on May 18, 2004

Don't want to derail, but on the occasion of a significant anniversary my brothers and I gave our parents a huge hamper from the local posh dept. store, full of choice commestibles that they would never buy themselves (and also a large bouquet). They loved it, especially the liveried local posh dept. store van parking outside the house and this guy struggling up the path with a huge basket.
posted by carter at 10:44 AM on May 18, 2004

I'd say you should do some sniffing around local art schools and see if you can find an art student who has the style and skills you're after. I'm not sure what university schedules are like over yonder, but around here it's about that time when grad shows are going up, which are usually accessible to anyone. Perfect time to shop around.

Depending on ego, you could probably swing a pretty sweet deal from those poor, desperate students, har har.

Not that this is necessarily an easy way to get a portrait, but in terms of prestige, and just something different, a painting would be spiff indeedy.
posted by picea at 12:37 PM on May 18, 2004

that's the kind of thing i'd try to do if i lived there, but since we'll only be visiting briefly, it's going to be tricky (especially since we're probably picky enough that it would be unfair to contact them without first finding out what their stuff is like, which means going round exhibitions first) (we've bought from young/local artists before, but it's a lot easier when you can just wait until somethng you like comes along).

thanks for the hamper idea too (might be good for another time when we can't visit).

oooh! and that's just given me a good idea for getting some furniture made for our flat here - there's an annual exhbition of industrial design from students that must be some time round now... stuff! stuff!
posted by andrew cooke at 1:06 PM on May 18, 2004

Many painters work from photographs - if you could get together a photograph of you all, you may be able to have that done as a painting.

I knew an art teacher who was very talented in classical oil painting who explained to me the difference between a photograph and a painting (even one based on a photograph). A photograph, though it can be quite good, is only one moment - whereas a painting is created over a long period of time. The image is just, well, more timeless - the faces seem to have more character, more sense of a life that had many moments. It's hard to explain - but I used to watch the students creating oil paintings from photographs (which is easier than from a sitter) and it was true.
posted by jb at 2:53 PM on May 18, 2004