Everett Raymond Kinstler Paints Mary Higgins Clark at MMC

(New York, NY) The Marymount Manhattan community enjoyed observing artist Everett Raymond Kinstler paint an oil portrait of bestselling suspense author, Mary Higgins Clark, at the College on October 10.

After an introduction by Lewis Frumkes, director of the Writing Center, Kinstler shared his experiences as a painter and then got to work. Using a basic palette of red, yellow, blue and white, he painted a striking portrait of Clark. The event yielded a lively conversation between Kinstler and Clark, and the audience participated by asking questions.

Kinstler has painted over 1,300 commissioned portraits, including two presidential portraits which hang in the White House. He has painted actors, musicians, cabinet officers and politicians, including Catherine Hepburn, John Wayne, Tony Bennett and Rudolph Giuliani. His work is displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Lotus Club, the Harvard Club and the Union League. Kinstler has said he does not paint to flatter, but rather, to convey the essence of a person’s character. His work is not limited oil portraits, as he also creates landscapes and uses other media.

Clark is currently writing a book titled Where I Am. She says she is inspired by writers such as Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Shakespeare.

Kinstler and Clark share a lot of similarities in the way they approach their craft. For Kinstler, the beginning of a painting is not focused on a likeness, but a feeling. Clark likes to start her novel with “shadows” before delving into the plot. The two also started their careers at a young age- Kinstler illustrated comic books at age 16 and Clark wrote poetry and skits at age six.

Kinstler shared with the audience that he feels blessed in his career, which allows him to paint the types of interesting people that he loves to paint. Clark will visit Kinstler’s studio, where he will finish the portrait started at this special event. They did not reveal to whom or where the painting would go after it’s completed.

Published: October 11, 2007