This painting has quite a story and was a lesson for me. I found the reference for this oil painting on photobucket. It was supposed to be a rights free image. After finishing the painting, I pulled the original image back up and noticed the name, Deanne Fitzmaurice and “San Francisco Chronicle” at the bottom of the photograph.
Ballet Slipper
Seeing the photographer’s name and newspaper worried me enough that I contacted the photographer. Deanne in turn referred me to Rick, the photo editor at the San Francisco Chronicle and even contacted him for me herself. Rick was very helpful and taught me a lot about photo rights. It turns out that the photo wasn’t rights free and should never have been put on photobucket. He thanked me for bringing the issue to his attention and granted me the right to exhibit and sell the painting with the caveat that I must obtain a model release from the ballerina. I went online and began searching. I was lucky enough to find her. It turns out that my “model” for the oil painting is the famous dancer Aesha Ash. My hope sank, but I contacted her via her blog. To my delight, Aesha not only responded, but gave me her consent…one artist helping another. This journey has taught me to be extra careful when choosing a reference photo for a painting, even if it is a “free” image. The reason I share the whole story of the painting here though, is to highlight all of the cooperation I received, first from Deanne, then from Rick, and finally from Aesha. There are so many wonderful people in the world and it is so uplifting when we connect, help, and share with each other.
