Painting of a Special Travel Memory.

Visual Memories Collected

While traveling, we often recall our favorite memories through the photographs we take. We collect these visual memories to enjoy later, whether on a travel camera or just on our phones. But sometimes one photograph does not tell the whole story the way we remember it, and it is the collection of photos that round out our recollection.

Reminiscent of Another Era

On a journey to Cuba in late 2019, during a visit to the tobacco growing region of Pinar del Rio, I encountered a gentleman farmer (campesino) on my walk around the property. He quietly embodied a presence reminiscent of another era, as if he had just emerged from an agricultural time nearly century earlier.

Re-imagining the Experience

The photographs I captured during my visit represented only bits and pieces of how I remember the day. No single photograph illustrated the experience I felt while I was there.The memory was far richer than any one photograph, which is why I needed to composite together multiple photographs to re-create the feeling as I experienced it.

A Personal Vacation Memory

The piece, El Campesino, is one in a series of paintings I created from my travels. It will forever illustrate the special memory of my visit to the country of Cuba.

original reference travel photos used for the painting by bobbie bush

original reference photos

detail of the painting

framed painting of Cuban tobacco farmer from Viñales, Cuba

finished composition

Wouldn't it be amazing to have a meaningful painting
that celebrates somewhere special?

Let's explore the possibilities!

What is a painted portrait?

Painted portrait commissions combine traditional photographic portraiture with hand-applied painting artistry. Using a mixed media approach, I blend a variety of mediums and tools, from a camera to a tablet to more traditional artist mediums and oils on canvas.

Each portrait commission begins with a reference image and is transformed into a work of art, initially with hand-rendered modern brushwork, and later the painting is transferred to canvas and enhanced with texture, glazes and oil paints. In the end you'll have a painting that you'll love!

Your photograph. Transformed.

Your work of art can be transformed into a painting from most any camera photo or image regardless of the background. In addition, you may also be able to use a digital file you had someone else photograph as long as we have permission. Send us a photo, or we can schedule a sitting.

It's easier than you think to Commission a Painting.

"When we work together, you'll be guided through each step of the process, know what to expect, and there will be no surprises about a person's likeness. In the end, you'll have the custom painting you have always envisioned."

Bobbie Bush, portrait artist

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