By Aaron Beane
Official portrait of Rhode Island governor, Gina M. Raimondo - 44 x 56, Oil on linen
Portraits, Inc. Artist Patricia Watwood's official portrait of former Rhode Island Governor, Gina M. Raimondo, was officially unveiled this Thursday, August 17th. During her tenure, Raimondo served as Rhode Island's first female governor from 2015 to 2021. It is not the first time Watwood has had the opportunity to celebrate the career of a groundbreaking woman. The Brooklyn-based artist boasts an impressive catalog of work, including portraits of Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin, Ph.D. (the first person to receive a Ph.D. in astronomy from Harvard and the first woman to attain full tenured professorship at Harvard), as well as Ida B. Wells (civil rights leader, anti-lynching advocate, and founding member of the NAACP).
Watwood’s portrait of Cecilia Payne Gaposchkin, Ph.D. (left), and Ida B. Wells (right)
According to The Boston Globe, Watwood's selection for the gubernatorial commission came from a group of 350 artist applications. Once selected, she began researching for the portrait, often in conversation with the former governor and her team. Watwood's keen eye for detail and thoughtful consideration of the subject can be seen throughout the composition. Speckled with stacks of stones and flowers typical of the Ocean State’s treasured landscape, the coastal scene provides an airy backdrop to the portrait. The details do not stop at the background but are front and center in Raimondo's outfit, a white suit symbolic of the attire historically donned by members of the suffragist movement. The excellent representational accuracy of the subject is not to be understated. Surely, for those present at the unveiling, it would have felt like seeing double.
Watwood was present for the official unveiling, seated in the second row in front of the governor’s flag. (Image credit: Christopher Shea/Rhode Island Current)
The unveiling was held at the Rhode Island State House, where the portrait will be permanently displayed among other former state leaders. The event was attended by Gov. Dan McKee, Sen. Jack Reed, U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner, former U.S. Reps. Jim Langevin and David Cicilline, among other Rhode Island officials.
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Portraits, Inc. was founded in 1942 in New York on Park Avenue. Over its 80-year history, Portraits, Inc. has carefully assembled a select group of the world’s foremost portrait artists offering a range of styles and prices. Recognized as the industry leader, Portraits, Inc. provides expert guidance for discerning clients interested in commissioning fine art portraits.