These are two separate portraits -- Bruce Northcote, and Judge Ann Northcote, his wife.
The paintings are acrylic on canvas,
24 x 36 inches each, and
are by me -- Barbara Muir © 2011
I enjoyed painting them and was sad
when the paintings were finished.
These days I am mostly painting landscapes -- usually withhigh clouds, and a background of oceans or lakes. But I've
spent a lot of my career as an artist painting people, which
lead to portrait commissions like the ones I want to honour
tonight.
I was commissioned to paint Judge Ann Northcote, a citizenship
judge and her husband Bruce ten and a half years ago. Ann
was a lovely person, passionate about Canada, proud of her
job and her Order of Canada pin. And Bruce, her husband,
was a retired accountant, passionate gardener and traveller.
One of the most touching things about the couple was how much
they clearly loved one another. I think that comes out in the paintings.
Ann died in 2011, and Bruce died this month. I was commissioned
to do the portraits by one of their sons, a friend of ours. When you
have subjects coming to pose for you, you are very much in the
present moment -- wanting to capture their expressions and personalities.
You don't think that one day these images will speak to coming generations
about who they are. I hope I've done them proud.
Bruce had a quiet sense of humour, and he was observant. He
showed up in my studio smartly dressed with the smart red tie in
the painting. And he quickly noticed that I complimented him a lot
on the tie, and so he added the pocket handkerchief.
I had so much fun getting to know this couple, and I am so
sorry for the family's loss in Bruce's death. Rest in Peace
Bruce Northcote, may you be with Ann again.
3 comments:
Oh Barbara, these are very fine portraits. Based on your brief descriptions, I think you have done Ann and Bruce proud.
A friend of ours recently died, awfully abruptly, and I had made several portraits of him over the years. What a feeling, to look at them now. There were many facets to his personality, some of which I think I caught in the portraits. I also hope I did him proud, and hope he is at peace now.
xoxoxoxo
V
These portraits are really lovely, Barbara. In them I can see that Bruce and Ann would have been wonderful people to know. Even though I didn't know them, I think you have done them proud - I can see kindness and humour and confidence in them, in their faces and also in their overall physical demeanour.
xoxoxo
V
Hi Verna,
Thank you so much. I love your portraits, and it is a part of portrait painting
that you don't consider when you're working on a painting. You are
concentrating so hard on trying to get it right, have the look the person
really conveys. I just saw your comments for the first time today. So
glad you like these paintings. I do. I wish these two were still alive, and
planning to swim in the pool they insisted I include in the background.
XOXOXOXOXO Barbara
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