Artist's Statement

Gradiva Couzin

Portraits and Copies of Old Masters, paintings in oil.

Born: July 22, 1970, Chicago, Illinois

I have been painting seriously for about 10 years, professionally since 1998. I have been training myself in an ongoing way by copying old masters, drawing and painting models, and by the continual trial and error process of a working artist. My goal as an artist is to create portraits that depict the beauty that I see around me every day.

I chose to focus on portraiture primarily because the face is what I love most, what I respond to in other artwork, what I find most beautiful, and also what seems to speak to others. I also love the fact that portraits become heirlooms, that they hang with pride in living rooms, that families look at them and talk about them and remember them, and that a portrait painting may become a real part of somebody's daily emotional life. I'm honored that my work can be interwoven with people's lives in this way, and it is the greatest satisfaction to me as an artisan when I know that my work is loved and enjoyed.