I had the great honor of being asked to sit for one of Todd Mrozinski's illuminating portraits.
Right away, I felt welcomed into his studio that he shares with his equally talented wife, Renee Bebeau. It's filled and I mean filled to the brim with both of their art. And yet I didn't feel overwhelmed but more at home in their studio. They both have such wonderful energy it's easy to be relaxed and be in the moment.
It's a simple set-up, a lamp, canvas, subject, and Todd's quick tracing hand.
I loved how he captured my smile. He recently did another one of me, but this time it was the back of my head and I was smiling the entire time!
I had the great pleasure of watching him work on mine right in front of me. I never tire of watching an artist of any medium do their thing.
You can view these beauties now through the New Year at Lulu Cafe in Bayview.
He does commissions starting at $200 per portrait, $175 each for 2 or more, $150 each for 3 or more. Plus he also teaches.
Like him on facebook and/or check him out on his website.
http://toddmrozinski.com/
https://www.facebook.com/todd.mrozinski
In his words, more about the shadow series and what started it....
"The Shadow Series started about two years ago on the one year anniversary of my father's death. I started to paint a portrait of him from a black and white photo but became frustrated, I really wasn't interested in painting people in the traditional way at that time but wanted to connect with him. I laid on the couch and my wife, Renee walked in, saw the smeared painting and large amount of dark paint on the palette and asked if she could cover the canvas so the paint wouldn't go to waste. I agreed and took a nap. When I woke up I noticed the beautiful warm light coming in through the front door, looked outside and saw the amazing tree shadow. I took the dry canvas off of the painting wall, laid the canvas on the ground and traced the tree shadow directly onto the canvas. With the warmth of the sun on my back, I felt my dad's presence profoundly and realized that he was showing himself in a new way. The Shadow series began and I painted tree shadows until the weather moved me inside and I realized the beauty of the window light and plant shadows of my home. The Window Shadow series began. One morning my daughter was helping me trace a large plant shadow and I noticed the beauty of her shadow, so I traced her and people were born in the shadow series. Renee and I were married in the Spring and a series of wedding bouquet shadows were painted. For the past three months I have focused on family, friends and fellow artists in the "Libations!" and Shadow Portrait series. "Libations!" is a series that happened because one night at dusk I noticed my shadow while drinking a glass of water in the kitchen. Next I painted my wife and daughter drinking and realized that I was wishing them nourishment and refreshment and that through painting this moment in time, I could offer that wish to others. It is wonderful to look at the paintings and see the way people drink, how they hold the glass or bottle, if they sip or slam. The portraits are wonderful to do because it is intriguing that one line can tell so much about a person. I have loved to meditate on the contours and shapes my friends and have been fascinated that the back of the head can tell as much about a person as their face. I work in oil paint because of its luminosity and textural richness."
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