Personal Art
Enhancing your home and office with portraiture.
By Shauna Lamansky, CPP
For centuries important and wealthy people hung lavish gilt-framed portraits in their great halls. However, beginning in Victorian times, ordinary people began to celebrate the people they cared about and honor family relationships by hanging portraits in their homes. Oil painting, watercolor, ink, pencil and, today photography, have all been used by portrait artists. As a certified professional photographer, I am able to create portraits specifically designed for the home or office, thus collaborating with my clients in a unique, personal and decorative investment.
Portraits may be of one person, the whole family or a collection of pieces showing various family relationships. Technology has made the restoration of older photographs more attainable than ever before, making restored photographs from generations ago wonderful pieces of family art. Florida photographic portrait artist Tim Kelly states, “A fine portrait transcends time.” Professionally created, high quality portraits are intended to last for generations and maintain a personal value much beyond the finest of furnishings and even the lifetime of the person shown in the portrait.
A portrait can be a primary design element or can add to the decor of your home or office by making your artistic choices personal and reflective of tradition. Finished pieces on display show your style and are a tribute to your care for your family. Child psychologists agree that placing portraits of family members in prominent locations adds to the self esteem of each person, particularly children. In the workplace, portraiture can be used as a way of showing employees and staff they are appreciated and respected. It also helps customers and clients feel connected to the people who work there. Employers and customer service experts agree that staff who feel appreciated are more likely to stay, and customers who feel connected will create lasting relationships.
Most people begin thinking about having a portrait created without any thought as to its placement in their home. Oftentimes it is a pressure situation: Grandma is looking for a picture, or the popular, (but limited) opportunity to be photographed outside in the fall colors is here. Begin with the idea of creating a wonderful portrait for your home, rather than simply being photographed and then trying to decide where to hang the image. Look at the décor; perhaps fall colors are not the right choice. Consider the style of portrait you would like. For a portrait that will look wonderful in your home for years to come and be a great gift for grandma too, begin with a planning session with your artist.
I like to work from the beginning and visit my clients in their home to get a sense of their style and personality, thus creating a unique piece of art just for them. Measuring a space for any piece of art is essential, as is giving thought to the position of lamps and adjoining walls. Leslie Dapper a designer with Irene Nelson Interiors emphasizes the importance of “options like groupings of portraits rather than just one large print and to always frame for the piece of art rather than the room decor. Placing the center of the art at eye-level is also key, as many people hang their portraits too high.” Depending on the wall, considering a few design elements will make it look appropriate for the space rather than an afterthought. If the wall has adjoining walls, I measure the width of the wall where the piece will hang and then have the portrait fill a half to two-thirds of that width. If the wall is free-standing, or is an end wall, the piece of art can be larger and can actually go right to the edges of the wall. You don’t want the print to look like a postage stamp on the wall or, alternatively, be so large the people in it are "larger than life" sized.
In planning your portrait session it is so necessary to think ahead to the final image. Do you want a casual, storytelling type portrait or a very formal posed studio portrait, or maybe even a grouping of different family members photographed around your home? It is also essential to consider clothing so that everyone in the image looks like they belong together in the portrait, allowing the viewer to focus in on the faces. Careful attention to the details helps make the portrait more timeless.
Portraits can be wonderful additions to any home or workplace. They enhance the style of decor and showcase the people living or working in that place and are a valuable source of pride and esteem. 
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