Portrait of a Stranger (Marcela), 16"x20", Digital Oil Painting, 2022
With this new idea to ask random strangers to let me create a portrait of them, I set off in search of a willing participant. Full of nerves, I cautiously approached this woman in a local store with my prepared, "I'm a portrait artist, can I make a portrait of you?" To which she replied something along the lines of, "I don't speak english." After some quick thinking and a little embarrassment, I responded in Spanish and explained my project goals. She was surprised that I had asked her to be a part of my project and questioned why I would choose someone like her.
I’m on a mission to prove ordinary people are cool too. I forgot to ask her name until the last moment. It’s Marcela.
A time-lapse of all the marks and moments it took to make this portrait is available below. Enjoy!