In 2012, Master Artist Stephen Gyermek gifted us with a remarkable portrait of IF. This work marked a new style/exploration in Stephen’s portrait paintings. He gave Ilena his customary fleshly treatment in oils, but chose a bold shape and placed her on a stark white background. Stephen captured her big soft striking eyes and rendered her hair as a sharp sculptural form.
It’s always a fun, yet strange, experience to view an artist’s representation of yourself or someone close to you. Composition, color choices, and the artist’s ability to look inside and throughout his/her subject often result in something familiar but peculiar. This work was no exception.
Initially the stark nature Stephen chose depict her was unsettling in some way. We spent a few weeks with the painting, periodically viewing it and discussing its presence. It’s now framed and has been placed carefully on display among our collection.
Rhinohead Productions 