I wanted to share the lovely comments from Bobby Lawrence. It is an honor to develop a painting for such wonderful people. Enjoy!
“I recently had the pleasure of meeting renowned Peninsula artist, Gloria Coker, at one of her art shows in Newport News. I’ve always been a fan of Gloria’s work, but I never owned any.
During our conversation, I asked her if she would create a painting for the main wall in my dining room. I told her that I wanted something with vibrant colors, her classic images of people, and something that would always bring me fond memories.
After a few months of meeting with Gloria, I decided that I wanted a painting that depicted my life in Ghent.
The focal point being the iconic Naro Theatre, along with my all-time favorite movie, The Devil Wears Prada, along with No Frill Grill, and the anchor for the 21st St. corridor, the Decorum Furniture store. The painting exceeded my expectations. I could not be happier.
Thank you so much, Gloria Coker, for your hard work and for making my home a happier place to come home to.
I’m eternally grateful.”
— Bobby Lawrence
I wanted to respond to Bobby’s kind words …
What Bobby Lawrence did not say is that he was the perfect client to work with on a commission.
Of the images in the painting itself, the only thing that was real was the NARO theater icon. The people are from my imagination, and the signage loosely reflects the actual signage, the restaurants and buildings that are familiar to people who know Ghent.
The project started as horizontal and gradually evolved into a square, then vertical, because of the placement of the art in the room. I set Bobby in front of my computer and showed him all the street scenes I had previously painted, and through that we evolved the design, color and etc.
Thank you, Bobby, for your kind words, and I am hoping that this painting might excite someone else to think about how they remember their own towns and activities.
