WOW! Wedding news...

Congratulations and best wishes to JoAnna Garcia on her wedding to Trace Ayala, Justin Timberlake's best friend and business partner!!!

I painted JoAnna's portrait, as well as portraits of her brother Michael and his wife, Anna Hirsch Garcia, back in 2006.






Above is the South Tampa Magazine article, which featured my portrait, and to the left is the actual portrait itself, in its full color.



JoAnna and her family are gorgeous people, inside and out. I was really honored that they liked my work. The South Tampa Magazine's publication of the portrait -- in an article recognizing her fantastic work as Cheyenne on Reba McEntire's WB show, "Reba" -- was the icing on the cake.



Some links to the media reports and wikipedia article about JoAnna Garcia and her family, and her engagement to Trace Ayala, can be found at www.people.com/people/article/0,,20207716,00.html, http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/marc_malkin/b2136_springtime_wedding_joanna_trace.html, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_Garcia.

Michael and Anna Garcia... portraits from their wedding day!

Looking Back:

My website at www.elisegres.com briefly had this front page...


(Portraits shown are Manuel Versaggi and JoAnna Garcia.)


And these are some photos that I sorted through...

















Before choosing this one as a bio photo and advertorial accompaniment...

When Portraits are a Requirement...

...please consider spending $5,000 to $15,000 on me, rather than $50,000 to $100,000 on Daniel Greene!

From: http://thestevies.com/CXONews/February2006FullText.html --

PORTRAIT OF THE CXO AS A SUCCESSFUL MAN (OR WOMAN)

Having your portrait painted is often a necessity for the CXO who has reached a certain level of success, and is perhaps a more popular custom in the United States than in other countries. It is a requirement, rather than the ego trip some might think. We spoke to practitioners of the art to find out more.

Daniel E. Greene, NA

Daniel Greene is one of the best known and most experienced portrait artists in the United States, and could probably write a book on the illustrious people he has had in his studio. These range from heads of state, to media personalities such as Bob Schieffer and Rush Limbaugh, and to senior executives of corporations such as American Express, IBM, Dupont and Wendy’s. If studio walls had ears, his would have some stories to tell.

A former president of the American Association of Certified Accountants once told Daniel that while sitting for his portrait he had decided to write his autobiography. The opening chapter was set in the studio as he was being painted, and everything else that happened in his life occurred as flashbacks.

That was in the days when Daniel worked out of his former studio in New York City. Nowadays, he travels to the sitter’s location with a photographer for a session of carefully chosen digital images. From these he selects about twenty-five of the most suitable, the final image to be used being approved by the sitter. This speeds up the process: a portrait that once took up to ten sessions over several months now takes about three to four months to complete, with a last sitting at Greene’s Westchester studio for the final touches.

Daniel Greene works mostly in oils, and occasionally in pastels. A half-figure portrait will cost from $35,000, but the average three-quarter-length portrait will range between $45,000 to $67,500, depending on the complexity of the background. Each portrait has a guarantee of satisfaction. If the sitter is not satisfied, he can return the portrait without paying, but that has not happened so far.
Daniel Greene’s work has been exhibited around the world, His portraits of Eleanor Roosevelt are on exhibition at Hyde Park, and a compilation of his famous “Subway Series” paintings was used on the front and back covers of the Official Guide to the 2004 Republican National Convention. You can view more samples of his work at his website, www.danielgreeneartist.com.

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

The smallest details change everything....

Presenting the adorable Jacqueline Rickel...

Eleven years old at the time of this painting, she still has the beauty and charm of a puppy.

I never design logos, but I made an exception for my friend and dentist, Dr. Jeffrey Schroeder, whose South Tampa office is at 3733 W. Neptune (813-254-1007). I love his office, which is bursting at the seams with Key West flavor and brightly colored artwork and, of course, with the incredible friendliness and expertise of the Doctor and his assistants. So, when it came time to create the logo, we went for a Florida mangrove theme. Take care of your roots, and your health blooms! Dr. Schroeder is currently working on developing a giant sign sporting the logo and lit from within, for the front of his office building. I can't wait to see it!

My TV interview on Tampa's Ch. 10 news (CBS affiliate):



Thanks David Leonard!

My Favorite Portrait Yet....

Here are some pictures... Please CLICK on a picture to see it in detail!!

This is a pastel portrait of Al and Jeanne Hardin, in front of the "famous" photogenic sand dune in their Indian Shores backyard.


I took a massive number of photos, trying to find the best lighting effects in combination with the best facial expressions and seating arrangements. I knew I had the perfect composition when I combined the three best photos and invented this casually romantic scene.


One of the difficulties of outdoor portraits is finding a position where the eyes can appear relaxed and open, rather than squinting. This is especially difficult when the eyes are sensitive blue eyes! In the end, we couldn't entirely avoid sunglasses...


Setting to work with my pastels, I particularly enjoyed the way the western light of the afternoon sun created a gorgeous modulation of colors, in skin tones ranging from bronzed to pale, and in beach whites ranging from the hot sands to the cool purples of the grass-shadowed dunes.