Tonight my daughter invited us to a art show where her portrait would be on display with 21 other portraits painted by Sonya Berg.
Sonya Berg is a Austin local artist and the portraits were of her friends and family that Sonya requested to sit for her. Ori's sitting was done around August 2022, she was 18 at the time. Ori & Sonya became friends when Sonya worked at the Lady Bird Johnson Wild Flower Center. They worked closely together in the "ticket booth".
There was a very nice gathering at the opening and towards the end of the Q&A someone in the audience asked if any of the subjects could talk about their experience of sitting for their portrait and seeing it now on display. Ori, to my and her mom's surprise, spoke up. We were sitting front and center, so all eyes & hears are on Ori, now 19 year old. She spoke how she was very anxious that day and fussing about what she wore, how she did her makeup, and her hair. Then when it came time to sit for the painting she wanted to back out because she didn't feel pretty enough to be painted. Then when she walked in she was so impressed looking at her slightly younger self in the portrait and feeling that perhaps she isn't ugly but pretty. You could hardly hear a pin drop, well other than the artist, mom and dad stifling from crying.
Three times we nearly lost Ori, which her pain started when we lost her sister Izabella on May 8th 2014 to suicide. Ori's third attempt wasn't all that long ago but she has come such a long way since then. To hear to speak about the portrait in a room full of strangers just proves to us her growth and healing. Though it is a road that will likely never end for her.
Attached is a scan of the Gallery book, Ori is the top right portrait. The scan is quite horrible and does not do Sonya's work justice. The booklet actually doesn't do the real portrait justice either. Anyways, I thought I'd share - it has been some night at the Gallery that is for sure!
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