Third person singular.

A few weekends ago, we were lucky to provide a pit stop for Donna and her man as they did that thing that living abroad requires from them. Visit and spend time with every living relative and friend in 72 hours flat, and do a couple of things that are the reason you had to come back in the first place. Thats an exaggeration of course, but sums up the visit. 

So here’s a brief sketch of a story…..Donna and I were part of Morti’s hen party some 12 years ago (?, I can’t keep track of the length of my own marriage, so have to rely on Morti if this is wrong), and Donna was a bit handy with her camera. I remember that quite clearly. Race forward about ten years and Donna asks if she can use a photo of me to paint my portrait. well, of course I said yes….because vanity and interest, right?

Here is the photo…a wistful and frankly much younger looking me. I can’t remember what my focus was, or why my makeup was smudged…..

Loving the 90s eyebrows!!. Anyway, Donna set to work and sent me a rapid succession of update pictures. I know she is an abstract artist and I knew that I should not be unsurprised at each turn, but I was. Good lord, it really is something to see your own fizzog as a subject and being enlivened by someone who knows what to do with some acrylic paint. 

I couldn’t see what else there was to do at this point! Donna said she would walk past it for a couple of days and see what happened….and it involved green! Well colour me surprised, and not a little nervous! It was a question of hold on tight, follow her brush! Look at those lips though…talk about highlight!

So at this stage, I place my face in Donna’s hands entirely….not that I’ve had any input -  on the grounds of ignorance and art fear. My most heartfelt and helpful comments have been ‘oh, she looks like Miss Dunnit’ and how fab it’s becoming and how attached to her I’m becoming. I can’t honestly say that I think of her as me. Here is the finished piece

We love it. Interestingly, neither Miss Dunnit nor I feel that she’s particularly either of us, more perhaps, a third person…and that makes it very alright to own a portrait of oneself. Which is great, because I do…and she’s hung in full view of every visitor that will ever use our dining room. It’s a process I recommend, entirely painless and very interesting with a real, big and lovely result. Donna takes commissions and offers some ridiculous guarantees. I would really like to have one of Mr Dunnit too…we are after all, a pair! He’s not keen, but as all it takes is a photograph, he need not know. I just have to find a good ‘full frontal’ of the man. Cough. 

Find Donna on Instagram - donnalouisegarner or at her website, donnagarnerart.com. At any point, start a convo with this fascinating woman, you can enquire, ask, shoot the breeze, just don’t expect to be be obliged. She doesn’t do that.