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An original work of art, such as an oil painting, a pastel portrait,
or a watercolor landscape, is generally a big budget investment unless
someone in your family is an amateur or professional artist.
Up until the early part of the 20th Century it was the custom in middle
class households in Europe and in the United States to commission a drawing,
painting, or sketch of a revered member of the family or a newly married couple
on their wedding day.
The subject or subjects would either go to an artist’s studio for several sittings
or, as was often the case, a traveling artist would make home visits for sittings until
the art work was finished. The pose and dress for such portraits were generally formal
and serious as befitting a work of art that was intended to become a family heirloom.
With the invention of the camera and its immediate popularity, such heirloom portraits
were created in a photographer’s studio by professional photographers rather than painted
or sketched by professional artists. The dress and poses still remained for the most part
serious and formal, and the photographs were elaborately framed and hung over the mantelpiece.
Today, when we visit flea markets and vintage shops we see many examples of both original and
photographic family portraits and we can’t help but be fascinated by the immediacy of these images
of strangers that once held such personal meaning for their loved ones.
We take for granted our digital cameras and computer albums documenting with candid photos every event,
large and small, of our daily lives. The Internet has revolutionized the way we send and receive photographs.
Grandparents can watch their grandchildren growing up even though they live far away, and friends can keep in
touch exchanging photos of their expanding families.
But what’s hanging over your mantelpiece? Have you been meaning to order enlargements of some of those great
candid digital photos you received by email but haven’t gotten around to it? Wouldn’t you like
to have an original painting of someone you love framed and hung with pride in your home for everyone to enjoy?
There is a way, and it’s not only easy, it’s also surprising inexpensive. Now you can combine the technology of
digital photography and the tradition of an original painting and create a family heirloom to hang over your fireplace.
The results of this process create a genuine work of art by professional artists that make a perfect gift for
someone you care about, whether for a Sweet Sixteen birthday present or to honor a sixtieth birthday.
All you need to do is send via the Internet a digital photograph or your subject (or send a couple
of photos to be combined into a group portrait) to the website www.paintyourlife.com and specify your
choice of medium: oil, acrylic, pastel, chalk, pencil drawing, or even mosaic. Follow Paint Your
Life’s easy on-line instructions and check out the many examples shown to give you ideas for your
special painting. You can the size, and even choose a frame for your painting, and shipping is quick and efficient.
Make this “modern old fashioned” idea into a gift that will be cherished forever.
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