Recently, I was contacted by the Dollywood Foundation to paint a portrait of Dolly Parton’s dad, Robert Lee Parton to hang In Dolly’s Ceremonial Office at the Imagination Library in Sevierville Tennessee.
Wow! What an honor. I started in earnest on the portrait from an old photo of the two of them together. Dolly’s father was her inspiration for the library which has given out over 180 million books to children.
Then the following week, I was contacted again by the Foundation to let me know that Dolly was making a visit to see the completion of the room and the unveiling of the portrait, and would I like to be there?
Now, I’ve learned over the years, that some opportunities you just don’t say no to. And the chance to meet a living legend is one of them. So off we went on a 500-mile pilgrimage to Dollywood to deliver the portrait in person.
My meet and greet with Dolly was short and sweet, and worth every minute of the 16-hour round trip.
Now, before you go off thinking that if you hire me, I’ll hand-deliver your painting. Sorry, only for Dolly.
Technical Notes
The recourse photo of Dolly and her dad was quite grainy, taken over 25 years ago with film photography. I used the Remini app to bring back some of the continuity of the values and colors in the face and improve the level of detail in the features and highlights. Photoshop was used to draw in his hidden shoulder.
While painting, I tried a couple of different colors for the background, and kept lt loose and brushy, to give more interest and depth to the space. I simplified the suit jacket, hair, and shirt striping to allow a greater focus on the face and eyes.
I also lightened and narrowed the values in his face to balance the redness in his cheeks, also giving him a more ethereal and heroic look.
I lowered his shoulders slightly to give a more natural posture for standing instead of his sitting position. I also straightened his lapels and collar as they were being pulled in the photo from having his arm around Dolly.
You Never Know
This opportunity is testament that you never know what life will throw you.