Commission a portrait that truly sees you
When you commission a portrait with me, you get more than a painting. You get the experience of being truly seen.
Patrick posted this on LinkedIn today:
A couple of weeks before I retired from full-time Big Law Firm work, John-Paul Flintoff came to visit me at work.
It was an unexpectedly moving meeting: I would be suddenly acutely aware than my career was coming to an end, that a change was afoot. The feeling came over me speedily and significantly, completely displaced me, knocked me sideways, left me winded, I had to sit down for a bit.
As my office was becoming less cluttered, as I had to work out what to take and leave, as I confronted the reality of what mattered to me now and into the future, as I thought about all the people I had encountered and the lives I had touched and the people who had moulded me, I was quite overwhelmed.
John-Paul handled it all in his stride, asked some questions, never intrusively, but cleverly, sympathetically, full of curiosity. In only a short amount of time, he captured my essence sufficiently to translate that into a wonderful portrait. Extraordinary. I hope never to forget that experience.
I am picking up that portrait this very lunchtime. I am extremely excited to be reunited with John-Paul’s art – I have seen it once, only briefly, and was transfixed. Not by the painting of me as such (as entrancing as it is) but how he as an artist had seen me, seen into me, seen right through me, seen what to use – and how – in the piece.
It’s remarkable, is it not, that we spend so much time at our work but very rarely visually record that?
- Patrick McCann
Patrick is extremely generous. The comments in response to his post were gratifying:
“What an amazing record to have of your career. I’d never have thought of this as a way of marking such a transition but it’s a brilliant idea.” – Sara Cody
“Beautiful” doesn’t even begin to capture what I think about this” – Sarah Harriott
“This is bloody lovely” – Paul Verrico
“So much of our lives spent at these desks. So much of our identity wrapped up in what we do” – David James Lister
“That is incredibly moving and such a poignant way to capture a lifetime of memories, simply divine.” – James Stewart
“What a gorgeous picture by a huge talent” – Joanne Hayes
“How fabulous Patrick, and what a lovely picture to treasure the memories of your working life!” – Deborah Botton
“You’re someone who deserves to be thanked and recognised.” – Sophie Wardell
“This stopped me in my tracks. How absolutely wonderful!” – Colin Shaw
Ready to commission your own portrait?
Please jp at this domain name.