The Burkhardt Family
Kevin Burkhardt is an extraordinarily gifted sportscaster with a gorgeous voice like warm honey. He is currently the lead play-by-play voice for the NFL on Fox and lead studio host for Fox Major League Baseball. Having worked with Kevin for over six years, on 3 commissioned portraits, I know him to be as sweet as that mellifluous voice. And, like me, Kevin loves surprising people with portraits.
April 2021
Hi Nomi-
“My Mom’s 70th birthday is in September and I was thinking about surprising her with a family portrait painting in black and white, like my others. It would be 7 people total in the portrait—my parents, my brother Brian and his wife, and the 3 of us. The catch is that I want you to use your creative mind to create the painting. We don’t have a good photo of all of us together. My brother and I will hunt for family reference photos to help you. I’m assuming this would take you a couple months to do. Let us know if you need anything else!!
Thanks for always being so awesome to work with. We get so many compliments on your other portraits!”
Kevin
I always feel like a detective when pulling together a portrait pose. Kevin and Brian sent 31 photos which all held clues for me about facial features, clothing, etc. Here are the ones to which I mainly referred:
Reference Photos
When there are so many different photos with various lighting, exposures, colors, and clothing, it’s easier for me to combine the subjects into a black and white painting.
Work in Progress
To make a preliminary sketch, I put my photographer’s hat back on and created a family portrait pose like the hundreds (thousands!
) I arranged as a professional photographer, but this time referring to photos instead of organizing real people in real time. The sketch was challenging—making sure each family member looked their best and that all were proportional within the grouping. I knew I was on the right track, when even I started to believe this was an actual family pose that really happened.
Although I didn’t have to worry about the various colors, balancing the values … highlights and shadows … can be even trickier.
I originally planned to have the family seated on steps, but that didn’t work out. Brian had mentioned a beach scene as a possibility, so I used his suggestion. Much better!
I’m a California girl, but I’ve heard of The Jersey Shore. Knowing that New Jersey is the Burkhardts’ home state, I named the painting, “Family Reunion at the Jersey Shore.” I didn’t know that the family had spent every summer at The Jersey Shore and that the area is a big part of their family history. Serendipity! And as for the addition of Lara, a Chihuahua Miniature Pinscher mix, also known as a Chipin, I couldn’t resist. Lara was obviously ready for her close-up!
September 2021
Hi Nomi-
“Well, you made my Mom cry! The painting looks fabulous. She can’t stop staring at it. I’m amazed at your ability to take a bunch of snapshots and create a moment that never existed! You are so talented and you brought our portrait to life in a way I never imagined possible. On top of that, you are as nice a person as I have ever met! Thanks for making such happy moments for our family for years to come.”
Kevin
and here’s an idea for all you Santas …
Wouldn’t you like to surprise your family members with the perfect gift for you and those you love … a portrait painting by yours truly? The holidays are fast approaching! It’s really fun and I look forward to helping you. Feel free to contact me with any questions.
