Hillsdale now has its own “Mona Lisa,” according to one viewer who saw a painting of Caroline Greb ’21 hanging in the Daughtrey Gallery.
The painting is a part of an exhibit by both assistant professor of art Julio Suarez and visiting assistant professor of art Roxanne Kaufman. Focused on the portrait, the exhibit will feature Suarez’s paintings and Kaufman’s photographs in the Daughtrey Gallery through March 30. The idea for the exhibit came in 2020, out of a mutual appreciation for portraits, Suarez said.
Suarez said he normally prefers to work with models in person, but when the pandemic hit, he was forced to consider other options.
“A lot of the work is done from photographs and I just wanted to see if I could enjoy the process and bring something to it. And I did,” Suarez said. “It’s always good to change things up. You have to be flexible and sometimes good things happen when you have limitations and challenges.”
The paintings feature many of Suarez’s students who were graduating seniors last year and had been with Suarez during his entire teaching career at Hillsdale.
“It’s really important to paint what you know and what’s around you, and these days what’s around me are my students,” Suarez said. “These students, most of them, were my first class where we’ve been together all four years. That meant a lot to me.”
One of Suarez’s favorite paintings on display is called “The Patriot,” and depicts his father-in-law relaxing in his backyard.
“You spend so much time around someone, you know what they look like more than just in a photographic way,” Suarez said. “In order to be successful at portraiture, you have to be interested in people. There has to be a connection there. It can’t just be this cold process.”
Another set of his portraits is of Greb, who was one of Suarez’s art students. Because she lives in Hillsdale, she was available to take pictures with Suarez.
“I was 5 or 6 months pregnant with my daughter, so I came in and there were lights and everything,” Greb said. “He poses you and sits you up and takes photos to paint from. It was like our usual chatting as we go, talking about everything from art to the housing market.”
Greb said Suarez’s portraits of her caught many details that are special to her, such as a pair of jewelry she frequently wears.
“I could see that he really captured the spirit of my personality,” Greb said. “The bigger painting of the two, someone commented that I look kind of skeptical. He had some funny comeback because he had me in class for four years and knows that I can be kind of sassy. It makes me feel really known by him.”
Now that her portrait has been hanging in the Daughtrey Gallery for a few weeks, Greb said she has received several comments. One person approached her at church and said Greb’s husband should purchase a portrait to have as a family heirloom.
“I was at the gallery opening and overheard that someone called it the ‘Mona Lisa’ of Hillsdale. It was kind of a funny comment that made me chuckle,” Greb said. “I do hope that somehow one of his paintings ends up in my house one day, because I would really cherish that.”
Kaufman’s photography, like Suarez’s, also focuses on the human connection. While her photo sessions can last up to several hours, the process of taking pictures can take as little as 10 minutes, she said.
“I want my portraits to be more about the person and the moment we shared than just accomplishing taking a picture of somebody,” Kaufman said. “Because we do that all the time with ourselves. I feel like we live behind a camera way too much. We always want things videoed and photographed to remember them but we’re not actually embracing and soaking in the majority of the moments just purely with our own eyes.”
The photographs capture minuscule details that might normally go unnoticed, Kaufman said.
“Professor Bushey came up and she’s like, ‘I didn’t even notice that his hand was missing two fingers and he had a tattoo that said ‘oops’ on it,’” Kaufman said. “I try to photograph people so it’s not super obvious, but it would be like hanging out with them, so to speak.”
Kaufman said she values the relationships she makes during each photo session as much as the photos she takes.
“I love all people, all shapes, sizes, personalities, interests,” Kaufman said. “It doesn’t bug me if they’re kind of grumpy or self-conscious.”
Her favorite portrait from this show is of her son, Brogan, who is featured on some of the posters advertising the show. She took the picture when she and her son were at her parents’ horse farm.
“He was digging a hole in one of the barns because grandpa said he could, and I told him it was time to fill it back in. He just turned and looked at me, and it was like a God-moment that I got that,” Kaufman said. “It was priceless. I felt like it would be a great greeting card picture. As a mom photographer, I don’t get those perfect moments all the time.”
Kaufman said she hopes those who visit the gallery feel drawn to the subjects in her photos.
“It’s always been that people would find beauty, entertainment, joy, just by portraits of everyday people photographed well,” Kaufman said. “If I’m connected to the people I’m photographing, that connection comes through the lens.”