Throughout its history, portraiture has served as a prestigious record for marking events, contributions, successes, and passages. Today portraits are commissioned not only to record events, but to honor and remember employees, family members, friends, and other loved ones. Trained in the classical tradition, Cole's portraits echo Rembrandt, Vermeer, Velazquez, and other artists whose work has inspired her throughout her career. Cole's portraits have been acclaimed for her draftsmanship and smooth surface quality, as well as for her ability to capture the inner spirit of a person. Working in oils, charcoal, graphite, and mixed media, Cole depicts the figure in a variety of ways, including head studies, as well as half-, three-quarter-, and full-figure studies. She also creates portraits with more than one figure. Most of the portraits Grace Cole has created were commissioned by businesses, organizations, religious and academic institutions, and individuals. Commissioning a portrait through Cole Studio has three main stages: Stage 1: The individual(s) who wish to commission a portrait meet with Cole to determine the type of portraiture that will be done. Some of the logistics that Cole discusses with the client include subject matter, setting, degree of formality, media, size, and deadlines. Stage 2: Cole meets with the portrait's subject(s) for photo sessions. These sessions usually take place at the client's home or office. Although some artists work from a live subject, Cole prefers to take many roles of film to use as reference throughout the painting. Photo sessions prevent the need for a subject to sit in the same pose for several hours or sessions as Cole works on the portrait. These sessions also give Cole an opportunity to learn more about the individuals. Stage 3: Cole creates preliminary sketches that depict poses, expressions and, if appropriate, relationships among those in the portrait. These sketches are then shown to the client for approval. Upon approval, Cole begins the work. Depending on the size and complexity of the work, a portrait may take 4-7 months to complete. Samples of Cole's portraiture are available online, in her portfolio. For more information, or to set up an appointment to discuss commissioning a portrait, please call or write: Cole Studio The Fine Arts Building 410 South Michigan Avenue, Studio 306 Chicago, Illinois 60605 312.362.9890 gvecole@aol.com