Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2006 | 7:45 a.m.
CARSON CITY - Gov. Kenny Guinn was impressed with how the portrait of former Washington Gov. Gary Locke captured his likeness and qualities - so much so that he has picked the artist to paint his own official portrait.
Michele Rushworth, selected from among three finalists by Guinn and his wife, Dema, has painted scores of portraits of private individuals, including one of a firefighter who died in the 9/11 attack.
The Seattle artist already has met with the Guinns and plans to be in Carson City in late September to talk with the governor about such points as lighting, whether he wants to be painted sitting or standing and "what message he wants to convey."
After taking photographs, Rushworth will produce "a lot of preliminary sketches" to submit to Guinn. After narrowing the choices to three, she then will do a preliminary painting.
"This is a multistep process" to prevent "surprises," she said. The painting is to be completed in December so it can take its place alongside other governors' portraits in the Capitol in January.
The Legislature has allocated $17,500 for the painting and the frame and $2,500 for the artist to travel to Nevada.
A committee reviewed the works of 38 artists, 16 from Nevada.
Rushworth, who paints six hours a day at her Seattle home, was the top vote-getter. The two other finalists were William Benson of upstate New York and Galina Perova of Salt Lake City.
The selection committee's nominations raised the ire of at least one Nevada artist - Adam Baker, a Carson City barber who has been painting for eight years.
After a 2003 newspaper story said he would like to paint the governor, Baker got a call from the governor's office to talk with Guinn. He met with the governor, took some photos and did a portrait. "I was under the impression I got the commission," Baker said Tuesday. But then he said he was told that there was a procedure to follow.
Baker submitted a sample painting of Guinn to the selection committee but was not chosen. "To rub salt in the wound, not one Nevada artist got a shot," he said, noting that none of the Nevadans who entered the competition was a finalist.
"This should be a state competition, not a national competition."
After being rejected, he in June took his sample portrait into a men's restroom at the state Capitol, where he placed it above a urinal and took photos of it. The portrait now sits in his back room.
But the stunt attracted publicity, and Baker now believes his portrait may be worth something. So he's going to hold a raffle at the end of the year for the painting, with the proceeds going to a charitable foundation.
archive
