This portrait of my friend Rena embodies the joy that comes from making the most of life. Rena is one of the most energetic women I know; literally grabbing life by the horns. She lights up the room and spreads positivity everywhere she goes.
A bookkeeper by profession, Rena has a passion for historic preservation and community involvement. She purchased a historic building in our historic district and has been working on renovating it, over the last couple of years, into a mixed-use space for offices and small businesses. She has plans for a gallery space in the entry hall to support local artists by offering low commission representation. Part of the ground floor will be dedicated to a photography studio as well.
The building started out as the original Ford dealership in town, later becoming the local newspaper. In the process of renovating the building, Rena has discovered original letterpress blocks from the print shop and has plans to display them along with other memorabilia in a small history collection onsite.
This portrait launches the allegorical collection of my portrait series, further utilizing symbolism and metaphor in my narrative painting process.
This portrait was painted on a wood panel attached to a refinished piano lid salvaged from a historic building in disrepair a few blocks down from Rena's building.