This is a commissioned piece, used as a surprise wedding gift.  They were thrilled. 

Once in a while you get a commission that really seems impossible.  A friend asks for you to paint a portrait from an old b & w photo, combine it with another photo, and use the style from a Dutch 18th century master. To be honest, I was terrified.  I was going into completely unknown…

One of the hardest and easiest faces to paint is your own. If you’re surrounded by relatives, you are familiar with most of your features; you might have the same nose shape as your son, eyebrows like your father, chin like your sister, mouth like your grandmother. But it’s also infinitely difficult because every color…