Good Surprise
I should start this blog post by admitting that I missed the rock music that came out in the 1990s and early 2000s. I was knee deep in the country music radio business and didn't have the time nor inclination to follow what was happening in other genres. The music of artists like Kurt Cobain and Chris Cornell that I've painted from that period is foreign to me. I say that as a precursor to the Good thing that happened yesterday.
A great client had commissioned me to do a portrait of Matthew Good, an acclaimed Canadian musician who fronted the Matthew Good Band before going on to a successful solo career. He had asked me months and months ago and I had just recently circled back to get the project in the queue and out into the studio. For some inexplicable reason, I felt that yesterday was the day to make this project happen. It turns out that my feeling was right.
I put quite a few hours into this portrait. There are lots of layers that get applied to create the rich colour scheme and help the subject emerge from the canvas.
No matter the project, the moments waiting for the client reaction are nerve wracking. I never fully trust that I've done a good job until the client confirms it.
"Fantastic," wrote the client after seeing the finished project. "Speechless."
I shared the portrait on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as I normally do. What happened next was completely unexpected.
Within minutes, Matthew Good saw the portrait on Instagram and commented "Fantastic!".
"Man it's amazing," he wrote. "Thus I'm using it as my icon photo!!!"
His reposting of the painting has over 1,700 like and 53 comments as of the writing of this blog post.
I'm exploring his music while writing this post. "Load Me Up" is a song I heard off in the distance and is very familiar. "Strange Days", while unfamiliar to me, is absolutely beautiful.
Thanks to everyone for the absolutely lovely comments about this portrait. A special thank you to my esteemed subject for responding to it is such an effusive way. You made my day.
A great client had commissioned me to do a portrait of Matthew Good, an acclaimed Canadian musician who fronted the Matthew Good Band before going on to a successful solo career. He had asked me months and months ago and I had just recently circled back to get the project in the queue and out into the studio. For some inexplicable reason, I felt that yesterday was the day to make this project happen. It turns out that my feeling was right.
I put quite a few hours into this portrait. There are lots of layers that get applied to create the rich colour scheme and help the subject emerge from the canvas.
No matter the project, the moments waiting for the client reaction are nerve wracking. I never fully trust that I've done a good job until the client confirms it.
"Fantastic," wrote the client after seeing the finished project. "Speechless."
I shared the portrait on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as I normally do. What happened next was completely unexpected.
Within minutes, Matthew Good saw the portrait on Instagram and commented "Fantastic!".
"Man it's amazing," he wrote. "Thus I'm using it as my icon photo!!!"
His reposting of the painting has over 1,700 like and 53 comments as of the writing of this blog post.
I'm exploring his music while writing this post. "Load Me Up" is a song I heard off in the distance and is very familiar. "Strange Days", while unfamiliar to me, is absolutely beautiful.
Thanks to everyone for the absolutely lovely comments about this portrait. A special thank you to my esteemed subject for responding to it is such an effusive way. You made my day.
Comments
Post a Comment