HCR and the Obamas

~ MaryG

Who are you most inspired by?

I’m really leaning on all the brave people helping those of us who pay attention to the news get through the absolute degradation of our country that is the second Trump administration.

We recently got a huge dose of inspiration from the Obamas, with the opening of the Obama Presidential Center last week. Their speeches (especially Michelle’s) are incredible. Watching the follow-up videos of the Obamas greeting families and reading library books to children are fantastic too.

While I was listening to the Grand Opening Ceremony of the Obama Presidential Center, I worked on a watercolor portrait of Heather Cox Richardson that I had started a few weeks ago.

Did you know this mild-mannered American historian gets hate mail and threats for keeping us informed as she does? And yet, she keeps showing up on our small screens and writing her nightly “Letters from an American” which are read by hundreds of thousands (possibly millions) of people each day.

She said her 250 for 250 series is a labor of love for the country she loves. Be sure to watch a few of those short videos, when you get a chance.

This painting actually looks a bit better in person than in the photo. I like how the bookshelves and her pullover came out, but skin tones and face contours are really hard. I do like painting portraits, so I’m going to try to find some YouTube tutorials to practice this summer.

Which inspiring figure should I try to paint next? Should I give Michelle Obama a shot? (I’m actually a bit scared to try her at my current skill level.)

39 thoughts on “HCR and the Obamas”

  1. That is a great painting!

    But also, it is funny, the way that real life three-dimensional things can lose certain elements of their appearance in the two dimensional form of photography.

    Likewise certain shots that make great photos, look incredibly fake in real life.

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    1. Thanks Rob!
      And yes, true. I’ve really been noticing how things (faces, etc) are distorted in photographs. I can’t imaging sitting for long enough to have my portrait painted (like in the old days) but that is probably the best way for an artist to truly capture a person.

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    2. Rob, I tried subscribing to your blog, but I did not receive a confirmation email (or an email I needed to click on to confirm my subscription intent, to be precise). Suggestions?

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    3. Rob, I tried subscribing to your blog, but I did not receive a confirmation email (or an email I needed to click on to confirm my subscription intent, to be precise). Suggestions?

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      1. Sorry about that Shelly. Let me try to take a look at it and let me see what I can do. If I have to go in and sign you up manually, would it just be the same email that you have on your blog?

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      2. Please do sign me up manually, if you can. And, frankly I’m not sure what address I have on my blog, so use Shelly at beer (as in the drink) boy dot com. Thanks, and sorry if the problem is on my end. Blogging and the attending apparatus are not my forte. Mary here can vouch I’m not an online pest, though. Man, despite my many comments here.

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      2. No, I meant “HCR” for Heather Cox Richardson. (Like in my painting, Heather puts her initials up in the corner of the screen.) But I always think “HRC” is so close – and she’s inspiring too! Loved seeing HRC up there on the stage with the Obamas at the dedication. I wonder if she’s included in many of the exhibits within.

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      3. Yes, of course you’re right! Duh, sorry. My brain short circuits when I think of her name (because she shares one of my names) and I just think of her as “Heather.” I’ve never been good with initialisms, preferring the long, cumbersome version. Sorry, AGAIN. Duh.

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  8. I don’t doubt it, given the decline of civil discourse we’re experiencing in this country. Everybody is getting hated on, especially those with a huge social media presence. I’ve read her newsletter in the past and found it very informative. Your painting looks really good.

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    1. Thanks Edward!
      I’ve come back around to really reading and listening to Heather a lot, after a period of feeling like she had a major blindspot around Joe Biden. She’s just once voice, but I find her particularly brand of patriotism inspiring.

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      1. You’re welcome, Mary. It’s like Barbara McQuade said in her book, Attack from Within: you need to read and hear all sides of the issue to really understand what’s going on.

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  9. That’s a great portrait! Heather lives in my midcoast area of Maine and is a local celebrity.
    Did you see the new portrait reveal of Michelle and Barack at the center? It’s quite wonderful.

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    1. I did! It looks so cool with all the smaller images embedded in it.
      And thanks for the nice feedback on my painting. Have you ever seen Heather in person in your area? (Doris Kearns Goodwin lives near me and I once was behind her in line at a department store.)

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  11. You did an amazing job, Mary!! Right away I felt like you captured something so real and great about her. Should send it through IG, if she has one. 🙂

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  13. The watercolor portrait is the detail that grabbed me — painting along to a livestream is such a lovely way to spend an afternoon. You’re right that faces and skin tones are the hardest part; the bookshelves behind her came out beautifully though, lots of depth there. For your next subject, maybe pick someone whose features feel a little more forgiving to build confidence first, then work up to the trickier ones. The practice this summer will pay off fast.

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