On Wednesday, January 10th, 2018 our artist Gavin Glakas unveiled his commissioned portrait of Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe at the Executive Mansion in Richmond. During the event, Gavin discussed his creative process, how we wanted to portray to the Governor, as well as a small hidden reference within the work. The artist began painting the piece in April of 2017 up until Friday, January 5th, 2018. Gavin certainly knows what it takes to create an exquisite work of art.
Final Portrait of Governor Terry McAuliffe
Gavin wanted to successfully portray the Governor in the appropriate environment to convey his character. Therefore, the artist said: “When I first met Governor McAuliffe, he wanted to talk about issues – he wanted to talk about his work. So we decided to depict him in his office working, with open notebooks, paper strewn about and a pen lodged between his fingers.”
Governor McAuliffe is known for his hard work and his strong belief in politicians having some fun. As a result of his fun loving character Gavin chose to include a little hidden reference to one of Governor McAuliffe’s most memorable stunts… the time he wrestled an alligator. A young McAuliffe wrestled an 8 foot-long, 260 pound alligator for 3 minutes to assure a $15,000 contribution for President Jimmy Carter’s 1980 campaign. Thus, Gavin painted a little alligator on the Governor’s desk, which again confirms the artists close attention to detail.
This was the second major unveiling for the artist, in December of 2016, Gavin unveiled his portrait of Senator Harry Reid. The ceremony and portrait celebrated Senator Reid’s 30 years of service in office. Former Vice President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were in attendance.
Portrait of Senator Harry Reid by Gavin Glakas
In addition, Gavin has been commissioned to paint portraits of other influential leaders and intellectuals. He was sought to do a portrait of Congressman, Ike Skelton, who sadly passed away in 2013. He also created portraits of Paul Berman, the Dean of George Washington University Law School and George J. Tenet, former Director of Central Intelligence.
We would like to congratulate Gavin on his huge accomplishment and honor. Now Governor McAuliffe’s legacy will remain preserved amongst the halls of the state Capitol. Congratulations Gavin!
If you would like to view more works by Gavin Glakas please click this link! If you have any questions or would like to have a piece commissioned by Gavin please don’t hesitate to contact the gallery.
