Blog

Giving Thanks...

2009-11-25T17:34:00.001-08:00

Best wishes to all our friends and clients for an especially meaningful Thanksgiving this year. We appreciate each one of you.

What Lindy Yow said about her portraits....

2009-11-17T11:59:00.000-08:00

When Lindy Yow came by the Costa Mesa gallery to pick up the portraits of her extended family, her first words were "They are perfect!" She was so excited to take them home for the holidays. Her parents were married 50 years ago in China after only knowing one another for one month. I loved seeing how all the children were so honoring to them. The portrait was the first of its kind ever created at the famous Huntington Library Chinese Gardens.

Natalie and Tatiana Slate

2009-10-23T16:41:00.000-07:00

What an honor it is to photograph clients repeatedly through the years.

It's so much fun to"grow up" with a family. Years ago, we had an amazing time creating a portrait of Natalie Slate and her family in Santa Barbara. Since then, we have created some of our most innovative images with Natalie. We did the one below when she was pregnant with her daughter, Tatiana...and that's obviously Tatiana in the portraits above. Natalie is a clothing visionary, and always brings me plenty of things to choose from. So when I saw the clothing she brought for Tatiana , I knew we'd have an opportunity to capture another very special image.

What's the story of your family that we should capture?

The Kenny Family

2009-10-23T15:58:00.000-07:00

We first photographed Michael and Alison Kenney in 2005. You can imagine how happy we were to create a painting of their beautiful daughters Reagan and Shannon. When they picked up their painting yesterday, we knew they were happy, but then Michael called April this morning and said, "we didn't want to go to bed last night because we just couldn't stop looking at the painting. We are just ecstatic." That made our day.

The Rogers Family

2009-09-25T15:30:00.000-07:00

I especially enjoyed getting to know Michael and Kristin Rogers this summer when we did these portraits of their family at the Montage Beach. The Rogers are such generous donors to the CHOC Foundation, so it was wonderful for me to create portraits that had such a sense of joy. There were so many great moments that day and I was really excited to be able to catch many of them. You can tell by all of these images that I love working with extended families like them.

See our Paintings at the Shops in Mission Viejo

2009-09-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

For a limited time, our new Masterpiece portraits will be featured at the Shops at Mission Viejo in Orange County. It's always a tremendous pleasure for me to have a public exhibition like this one. This is the first exhibit that is entirely comprised of our new paintings, so I'm especially excited.

It's a lot of fun for our clients to see their portraits on display where they can show them off to their friends. I'm especially grateful to Arcelia LaRue and her family, as well as Tidi Lambert (and her daughters), Marie Startz, Darla McCutheon, The Muir family and The Inuoye sisters, whose portraits are featured in the exhibit.

Desirae

2009-08-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, April and I hosted a small pizza party at our house. We met a lot of interesting people, particularly Desirae, who graciously posed for us in the front doorway of the studio.

We were drawn to have Desirae model for us because of the texture of her clothing, hair and accessories. This was so enjoyable for me because it lets me create portraits that are a little different from many of the more formal ones that I do. April made this little painting from my camera study. I love how people we don't even know are up for the adventure of letting me find ways to tell something about them from my unique vantage point.

April

"Absolutely Stunning..."

2009-07-25T21:52:00.000-07:00

My friend Michael Thompson is a fellow member of the International Society of Portrait Artists. We love to email each other with our most recent images. You can imagine how great it felt when he said that this portrait of Maria Startz's girls was "absolutely stunning." That was high praise from someone who I really respect. I have to admit that it was pretty incredible to work with such great sisters who were totally into the experience. Even as I was creating the portrait, I could tell that it was going to be quite special.

Now THAT was fun!

2009-07-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, we had the incredible experience of making these portraits in the Chinese Gardens at the Huntington Library. Lindy Yow and her family were celebrating their parent's 50th wedding anniversary, and they went to great length to make sure their portraits were amazing. Lindy even had Chinese gowns custom made for the portrait. Theirs was the first formal Chinese portrait to ever have been created at the gardens, so it was quite an honor for me.

The Inouye Sisters

2009-06-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

I've always dreamed of having a north light studio. So you can imagine how inspired I've been these last couple of months at our new location!
I'm grateful to Kaili and Kaydee for being such great models in this recent painted portrait we created.

As Good as It Gets

2009-05-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

It is always a pleasure to give back to the people who have helped to make our studio successful through the years. I have an especially soft spot for helping kids, and have had lots of opportunities to get involved. I love helping out great charities like Our Lady of Fatima Parish School. You can only imagine how I felt when I received this letter from Molly, who is one of their young students. They netted over $70,000 in profit from their March 21st auction.

Sabrina and Samantha Parker

2009-05-15T14:35:00.000-07:00

This is the first portrait we created indoors at the new studio. I am finding that the natural light and wood floors in the main gallery are incredible for portraiture. This painting is of Sabrina and Samantha, the two daughters of Ron and Sherry Parker. We all had an amazing experience creating their portraits. I could not be happier.

Settling into our Calabasas Studio

2009-04-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

A note from April Brandes

For those of you who do not know, I am married to Mark.I asked him if I could say a little something on his blog about our move to the new studio in Calabasas.

Moving is a tremendous undertaking, especially when you have been in one location for over ten years. So much has to happen so quickly, and with an artist, the interruption can either be helpful or damaging to your creative energy.

This last month, I was reminded how much Mark knows about the art and the skill of portraiture. When we decided to move to a location studio, Mark knew how incredible the garden would be for our new paintings. Long before he made his first camera study, he saw the beauty of the portraits he could create here. This little painting was created of Louella Grahams children, Cassie and Lea, just 3 days after we moved in. That in itself is amazing to me. I was equally unaware how much expertise in lighting, space design and more is required to create a camera room that will be suitable for an artist at his level.Though it is not finished, Mark is making a home for himself where he continues to create his elegant studio portraiture.

It has been an amazing 10 years in our Westlake studio.With the support of our clients and with his creative vision, I have no doubt that we will all enjoy the years to come.

Our phone number is unchanged, though it takes a little while for all the lines to be transferred over:Please give us a call before you visit, as we are still settling in.

April Brandes

What Our Clients Think...

2009-04-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

It was so great last week when Jami Johnson came to pick up her framed painting that began as a camera study of the boys at the Westlake Inn. We were so honored by what she said:

"How can we ever thank you enough for capturing our precious children the
way you did! We had nothing but the utmost confidence that you would do an outstanding
job. Your professionalism and passion for your work is so admirable.

This painting is a true masterpiece and we will cherish it for the rest of
our lives.

It was a great pleasure working with you."
With love, Frank and Jami

We're Moving

2009-04-08T17:41:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about the opening of our new studio in Calabasas on May 1st. After more than 25 years in Westlake Village, I have to admit that I'm feeling sentimental about the change, but at the same time we're all really excited about it all.

I began my career doing formal portraits in the studio. I still love them. And yet it's important that I continue to be inspired as an artist.

About a year ago, April started to paint my photographic portraits. I do the camera studies and April is completing them in mixed media on canvas, hand finishing them with oils and glazes. We've been astonished at the response to the new direction our work is going!

Of course, we will have a beautiful camera room at the new studio, and I will continue to make photographic portraits.

What an Amazing Afternoon...

2009-03-28T13:43:00.000-07:00

We had a really inspiring afternoon in Malibu recently with Melanie Gouczwaard and her young daughter Emelia. I did the camera studies at both Paradise Cove and at Point Dume. The coreopsis was in full bloom, and it was absolutely stunning.

Here's a short slide show of our experience:

I've made a special friend...

2009-03-18T16:24:00.000-07:00

And she's another artist as well!

When the Markham family came into the studio to pick out the frames for the beach portraits that we did of their family at Leo Carrillo Beach, their young daughter Erin presented me with her own work of art. We thought you might want to see it as well.

Currently it's hanging on the bulletin board by my desk, but I might even frame it.

Our studio is blessed to have so many clients we can call our friends. Thats one of the real joys of what we do. And it's also fun to see our young clients grow up. I have a story about a local client who hit the big time this year...but it will have to wait until next time...I've gotta find her images first. They're in the archives on something called film.

Any guesses? Stay tuned...

Vanity Fair Exhibit at the LACMA

2009-03-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, our good friends, Sally and Greg Rademacher stopped in for a visit. The Rademachers have a beautiful portrait studio in Prior Lake, Minnesota, and Greg's work is unbelievably gorgeous. Here's a link to his website www.rademacherportraits.com Check it out.

We spent a great Sunday in LA, and did the whole tour... Mass at the Los Angeles Cathedral, lunch at the Grand Central Market, the Vanity Fair show at the LACMA, and then dinner at a Korean BBQ place in Koreatown. Lots of quality time and wonderful experiences!

The Vanity Fair show was excellent, with so many iconic images. I loved so many, but quite honestly, in the whole museum, this little painting sketch by Louis Bally from 1794 just captured my heart.

It's only about 5x7 inches, but incredible. It reminded me of some of the new painting pieces April is doing here at the studio that have the same feeling.

Stop in sometime for a visit, and see our latest work. You'll love it, I promise!

We Love Seeing our Clients View their Portraits!

2009-03-04T15:33:00.000-08:00

When Shawn and Jamie Villalovos came in last week to view their finished portraits for the first time, we loved seeing their big smiles. Both Shawn and Jamie said the portraits were awesome, and that they loved their amazing detail. They ordered several wall portraits and this painting of 3 year old Daisy will be displayed in their entry. You can't imagine how we feel, knowing that the portraits we create will be among our client's most valued possessions.

The Spear Boys

2009-02-13T16:12:00.000-08:00

There is a group of amazing portrait artists who April and I meet with every year about this time. I just returned from a wonderful retreat with them in the mountains a few miles outside of St. Louis. The weather felt like 20 below zero to my California blood, so you can only imagine how great it felt to be back home. Just a few days after my return, I created this portrait of Mark and Jack Spear enjoying a walk in the early spring fields near Mt. Boney. They were full of enthusiasm, and I wanted to capture how much they enjoyed being together. I love that I can work on location all year long in such beautiful environments!

Ice Dancer

2009-01-30T15:11:00.000-08:00

Back at Christmas, Marianne Mosko asked me to meet her and her young daughter at the ice skating rink here in Westlake. Her daughter is an accomplished ice skater and we wanted to make an image that would be an amazing work of art for their home. I loved the color and the lights - it made the experience just magical. I'm continually thankful that I have such a great life, creating the kind of portraits I love, with enthusiastic people who come back to the studio again and again through the years.

Chris and Anne Moore's Family Portrait

2009-01-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

I love family portraiture. In every family I've ever worked with,
I've found that each person is completely unique, yet they all belong
together. It’s fun for me to help everyone feel confident, relaxed
and happy. In this portrait of Chris and Ann Moore and their four
children, I posed them a little further apart. Although their twin
daughters are just 15 years old, each of them is already beginning to
find their own unique life path. We had such a great time creating
their portraits at their beautiful home in Laguna Niguel, and I know
that the family will enjoy them for many years to come.

My Newest Painting....

2009-01-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

When I was at the home of Scott and Darla McCutcheon in San Clemente recently, I also did some camera studies of their 8 year old daughter Hanna.

Hanna was so at ease during the session that I knew a painting would be beautiful, even while I was capturing the initial images with her. I was so pleased with the final painting that we used it as a sample for the annual auction at St. Anne's School in Laguna Niguel, where Hanna attends.

More and more clients have been commissioning us for paintings. What a privilege it is to create them. And we are having a special sale on Children's paintings in January!

The portrait that I treasure most....

2008-11-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

When our little granddaughter Emma Grace Hartman was born, I experienced something first hand that we tell our clients all the time: Beautiful portraits are important. They truly do capture once in a lifetime moments.

Now, I am probably about the proudest grandpa around. And I get to create all kinds of portraits of Emma. Most recently, I did this one in my favorite classic style.

Throughout my career, I have loved creating timeless, elegant portraits. They are sometimes unappreciated in a fast-paced, trendy culture like ours. But don’t be mistaken: these portraits will stand the test of time. They are simple, beautiful and arresting. They require extraordinary attention to detail. I love Emma’s innocence and purity in this image. It is fun to see her budding personality. When she turns one, I’ll probably create a painting, which of course I’ll be excited to show you. But I know I’ll always love this portrait of our beautiful granddaughter.

Honoring CHOC and the Duffy Family

2008-10-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Last week, I had the incredible honor of helping the CHOC Foundation (make link) raise funds for their important cause at the ChocWalk at Downtown Disney.
We featured this painting of little Emma Duffy, daughter of Patrick and Erin Duffy, created in the dining room of their home. The family has been committed to CHOC in a significant way because their daughter was a patient there.