Sharon Sprung's PORTRAITURE on View at Gallery Henoch

Sharon Sprung's extraordinary figurative works are easily matched by her exceptional portrait paintings. Sprung's subjects come from many walks of life. She's painted portraits of District Judges and University Deans (her portrait of Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin is in The Collection of the U.S House of Representatives), as well as family portraits that hang over the mantel. Her PORTRAITURE exhibition is currently on view at Gallery Henoch.

As with all of her studio practice, portrait painting comes with a philosophy. For Sharon, portraiture is a shared vision between the client and the artist. "All portraits," says Sprung, "are one person's vision of another, not merely an objective representation of someone. I want to give the client a sense that they're working with me to create the portrait. It's not just a piece of decoration for the house, it's a way of documenting someone's legacy."

Each portrait begins with coffee, dinner, or a drink at a neighborhood bar. Sharon likes to meet her client well in advance of painting their portrait so she can get a sense of who they are and how to approach the task of painting them.

When asked how exactly she goes about getting a feel for her clients, Sharon recalled the time she was working on a portrait of a judge. She attended his court hearings and made sketches of him from her seat in the back of the room. "But, to be honest," she says, "getting a sense of the client is just something I'm good at. That's what painting a portrait is. It's not just the skill of painting, it's also really seeing a person for who they are and knowing how to portray them."

The time it takes to complete each portrait varies, but the experience is always special. A recent commission to paint Virginia Outwin Boochever's grandchildren was, for Sharon, a thrilling reminder of the significance of contemporary portraiture. Mrs. Boochever was responsible for the endowment of a portrait competition at the National Portrait Gallery. Mrs. Boochever's son saw Sprung's work in the show and invited her to paint portraits of his three children.

If you're interested in having your portrait painted by Sharon, contact Gallery Henoch. Commissions are priced at $14,000. and up.

Gallery Henoch is located at 555 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10001. For more information, call 9 1 7 . 3 0 5 . 0 0 0 3, email info@galleryhenoch.com or visit www.galleryhenoch.com.

Artwork: Portrait of Pigeon, Oil on Panel, 22" x 22", Sharon Sprung.