THE BEAUTY PROJECT
A project by artist Nancy Rynes intended to highlight the incredible beauty and spirit within all of us.
The project will consist of at least 24 oil paintings that show the inner and outer beauty of everyday people from different ethnicities, ages, religious affiliations, genders, vocations, and lifestyles.
Learn about the Beauty Project
Inspiration
Incubation
Catalyst
Get Involved
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Inspiration
Maine, 2010
It found its new home quickly, this tiny little portrait that I painted of a Tanzanian girl in profile, a beautiful, proud, and happy child with her hair in cornrows and the most serene expression on her face. She wore tattered clothes and walked barefoot because her family had all they could do to keep food on the table. But that didn't seem to matter too much as this little girl posed for a photo. She exuded confidence, pride, and beauty, and so I named the painting "Beauty."
Not long after I finished "Beauty", I was hired to paint the portrait of an older, much wealthier lady in New England. She had what seemed like a loving family, and she wasn't hurting for material possessions. The Lady had great poise and grace in her movements, and looked to be at least 20 years younger than her actual age of around 80 years. But what this beautiful woman didn't have was love and compassion for herself. While I saw loveliness in every hard-earned line on her beautifully shaped face, all she could see when she looked in a mirror was someone old and dried up. She hated the way she looked and very likely hated herself, too.
Heartbreaking.
What struck me was how these two people at opposite ends of the economic spectrum had such different views of themselves and their lives.
INCUBATION
Several years passed during which time I was involved in a horrific car vs. bicycle accident (I was on the bike). I died on the operating table and had an extraordinary experience that changed my life completely. One of the most profound shifts I experienced was a newfound, supremely overwhelming sense of love for, and connection to, every living thing. I saw the beauty and uniqueness in each person and animal, no matter his or her outward appearance. Even if he or she could not recognize that beauty, I saw it and celebrated it. Many times this beauty moved me to tears.
To me, the most beautiful were often those who displayed the most outward scars: the Vietnam War veteran struggling with PTSD and addiction years after the conflict ended; the beautiful gray horse whose skin was criss-crossed with scars from an abusive former owner; burn victims; amputees; the homeless; the elderly; and many more.
This beauty, both inner and outer, shines like a beacon to me.
Understanding this led me to begin painting the human figure again, trying to showcase the beauty and even, dare I say divinity, of my subjects. I painted a few small pieces but set them aside because, at that time, I did not have a conscious framework for the concept that was beginning to take shape through me. Unable to articulate what I was trying to accomplish with these early works, I set them aside and concentrated on creative writing instead.
Then in February of 2018, an artist and friend of mine, Ken Elliott, sent me a text message saying that he couldn't get these latest portraits out of his mind. He helped me conceptualize what I had, subconsciously, been trying to achieve with these early works.
And then the magic happened.
My creative muse kicked into overdrive and I had a full-on case of "god-bumps" thinking about this project...The Beauty Project.
Catalyst
Seattle, 2018
This project, this series of paintings exploring the concept of beauty, is part of my life's purpose. My desire is to demonstrate the inherent beauty in everyone no matter skin tone, ethnicity, religion, social status, or age.
The intent is to show that those outward trappings of attractiveness that our society values so highly, in the end don't matter much at all.
Beauty is an inside job.
American artist Mary Cassatt demonstrated this quite handily in her painting "Girl Arranging her Hair" (right). When I first saw this gorgeous piece of art in person, I wept. I saw Great Art that wasn't "pretty." Mary Cassatt painted this piece after hearing her friend, Edgar Degas, quip in a rather derogatory way, "What do women know about style?" His intent was to prove that women could "ape" great art but could not be inspired to produce it themselves.
Mary took that as a challenge. Back in her studio, she created a truly great work of art whose beauty doesn't depend on the prettiness of its subject. We might even consider the model quite homely, with her overbite and awkward pose. The composition is counter to what we're taught in art school, too. The model is crowded off to the right and looking out of the painting, which leaves "dead area" on the left. But Mary Cassatt pulled it off.
When Mary showed this painting to Degas, he was said to be stunned into silence. To his credit he conceded that he had been wrong. Mary later gifted the painting to Degas and he kept as a prized part of his collection until his death.
In no way am I claiming to be another Mary Cassatt. But remembering this story and seeing the painting again was exactly the catalyst I needed to take on this project. Today's polarized, image-conscious society needs this message more than ever.
GET INVOLVED
I'm looking for "regular" people (not supermodels) who will allow me to paint a portrait of them to include in this series of paintings. This is all-inclusive: skin tones, vocations, religions (or not), ages, physical traits, genders, orientations, and economic status. Simply be your glorious self!
Time commitment: 30-60 minutes for a short photo session
You will be compensated for your time.
If you're interested in participating, please click the button below.