Usually I don’t paint portraits of people! I have done a lot of pet portraits, cats and especially a load of dogs, and often I am asked if I can do a portrait of a person - sometimes even combined with a pet portrait. I always say no; personally I find it really difficult and very time consuming. Also often, after spending hours, perhaps days on the project, I have to start over, as it has taken a wrong turn, I just can’t come back from.But no rule without exception! My artist friend Karen asked me if I would paint a portrait of her daughter Amalie. I was debating, wasn’t sure, thought about it, then I said to Karen that I would give it a try, but if it ended in disaster I would just stop... Being a painter too, she knew exactly where I was coming from, and that’s what we decided on. I went back to the US, Karen emailed me the photo of Amalie that she wanted me to work from, and filled in the actual pet portrait form (she described Amalie’s “breed” as “human with a touch of angel” : )
The photo was of a very young Amalie, and there was a special story to it; she had been upset and wanted to leave home, wearing her little tiger costume. She sits in the garden on a stack of her small suitcases, she was clearly ready to leave! The portrait took some time, but was fun to do, and I knew Amalie enough to decide whether it looked like her or not. I brought back the painting to Denmark this summer, an luckily she liked it. It had been a surprise, she had no idea...
I asked them to take a photo of Amalie with her portrait, and I just received it a few days ago, and she is - once again - sitting on the grass on a stack of suitcases - and this time with the portrait, and luckily, not upset!
Another exception I did was a portrait of my good friend Poul. I wanted to give him something for his 70th birthday. I know Poul well enough to immediately know, wether the portrait worked or not. And for some reason the portrait was quick and easy, I saw Poul in it right away.
