In the Light (Mitchell)

by Godfrey J. Ellis – 16×20 Acrylic Oct 2021

This wedding portrait was painted for the man who painted the trim on our house as partial payment. So, it wasn’t so much a commission as a trade of work. His son and bride were photographed outside in front of stairs and metal handrails. They didn’t like that but they especially didn’t like the brilliant sunshine, which put their faces in shadow. The charge given to me was to lighten up the faces. I put the painting in an oval because I wanted to emphasize the difference between the photo that they didn’t care for and the wedding portrait which they hopefully would cherish for years to come. Below is the reference photo.

The couple holding the painting (below) are not the couple I painted; they are the parents of the couple – they just look like their adult kids. They had commissioned the painting as a Christmas gift. Because I was, in essence, “inventing” the lighting, I was a little worried about whether they would like it. Well, any fear was quickly put to rest when the parents picked up the finished portrait. The mother (holding the painting – below) took one look at the portrait and was so delighted that her eyes immediately filled with tears as she started to cry. It was a very pleasing reaction to have. As they walked away to their car, I heard her say to her husband, “I’m so excited for Christmas!”

Here is the young couple’s surprise reaction as they opened it on Christmas Day (2021) and then them holding it after they opened it:

Below are four photos showing the painting passing through its various stages of development: