Oil Portrait of Dr. Earl Mindell
My husband and photographer, Gerry Chromoy, and I showed up in Beverly Hills at the home of Dr. Earl Mindell, author of The Vitamin Bible, The Herb Bible, Prescription Alternatives, etc. We had been hired by the President of Freelife International, Ray Faltinsky to produce a surprise oil portrait to honor their prized R&D professional. His wife was expecting us and she had told her husband to prepare to pose for photos for a press pamphlet and a life size standup that he had been wanting.
She met us at the door—a raving beauty. “The good doctor has gotten himself a new young wife,” filled my thoughts. But when she showed us the many ornate silver-framed family photos spread over the grand piano, I had to acknowledge that the doctor’s vitamins had served him well for the beautiful mother of his grown children.
The standup photography premise worked perfectly to enable us to capture him naturally gesturing with his hands—his most familiar daily pose as the famous teacher and lecturer.
Once we were done there, it was then over to me to make the painting. No problem…. Then we took it to be framed. While browsing through well-appointed rooms in a warehouse-sized facility, the owner happened to take notice of the painting. Suddenly he was showing us his grandest creations, exclaiming how this portrait deserved the best. No argument from us, but the prices were as extravagant as the frames. Of course then we found the exact perfect one. Good fortune was with us though—the owner was so dedicated by this time that he cut the prices til we couldn’t refuse.
Next the portrait was approved by Gail Mindell (remember—the beautiful wife) and then shipped to the Freelife annual convention in Texas. The unveiling went off like clockwork—it took Dr. Mindell by complete surprise—he was even stunned to silence, which Gail said “never happened”. 1200 people applauded. Freelife President, Ray Faltinsky, was very pleased with himself and his board. (All right!)
Gail said: “My husband’s portrait is so lifelike that I feel that he could reach out and touch me. The expression in his eyes, the enthusiasm in his face—they’re perfect. Even apart from the physical, you captured his personality, his essence—it’s him! It’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen. I can’t take my eyes off it!”
Well—just you wait—I have another story of portraiting the beguiling Gail Mindell herself. Stay tuned….
Hey, by the way, when do I get to remember your story? You can have a portrait too. Let your fingers do the walking… 727-442-5553….
Related Posts:
- Custom Oil Portraits: Man and His Dog
- Custom Oil Portraits: Mother and Child
- A Self-Portrait in the Nick of Time
- My Brush with 45 Million
- Publishers Portrait Published
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
What a great story and what a wonderful response to your work. I really enjoyed reading this and other articles on your blog and I don’t “blog”. You write very well. Reading your articles is like stepping outside my day-to-day view of life and reminds me gently and positively of the power of art and aesthetics. Very much the effect an artist would want have on others.
Thank you so much! The world of aesthetics is its own world, isn’t it? I guess every subject has its own world, come to think of it. But the world of aesthetics is one that we all need at least a little bit of, don’t you think? Even just being an observer, it must give everyone a lift. In contrast to being dragged down by all the conflicts one runs into in life, the world of aesthetics lets you dream in uncharted and pleasing terrain. I mean you don’t run into more conflicts when your imagination soars. You can create new realities and new futures and come back down to “earth” with new viewpoints on how to handle problems that were unsolvable before—just by having that little relief. That is what I want to create with my aesthetics! Thank you for making me conscious of it!