An Artist's Eye

My husband commissioned an artist to create a portrait that represents my four daughters and me. First of all, major points to the hubby for even thinking about something so amazing.  Second, more points to him because he paid for it with his own money. Third, extra extra points for hiring a Samoan artist who happens to be in Samoa.

I've always wanted to be an artist, to paint and draw.  It looks incredibly peaceful.  Unfortunately, the artist gene completely bypassed me, ran very far away, skipped my mind and hands, and crossed my name off of the forever artist list.  I feel that I have the heart of an artist.  I certainly have the introversion to love artistry.  Alas, I have tried but instead of being tranquil moments of time, it turned out to be stressful and aggravating.  I bought a small set of blank canvas boards and thought I would try out painting.  After two attempts, I simply added two more pieces to the garbage pile. The remaining blank canvasses are sitting in a box in the garage along with the rest of the junk that still needs to be cleaned out.

What an artist sees in their mind and how they interpret those thoughts onto canvas is absolutely incredible.  My husband's attention to details and relaying that to the artist turned out to be a labor of love. The end result has others wanting to purchase this beautiful piece but happily, it is mine.  The details she added (my tattoos, for example), make it completely one of a kind and extremely personal. This artist's eye captured a lot of love and more importantly, created a family legacy.

In progress:  "O a'u o Matua Fanau - Our children are our greatest treasure"

By:  Nikki Mariner - Manamea Art Studio