July 19, 2006 - 12:26 pm
The Big Night

June 23, 2006.  Opening night for the Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2006.   The date seems now forever etched in my mind.  For months it had loomed on the calendar and I had anticipated the night with a mixture of excitement, apprehension, and even worry.  In order to get your work done as a painter, at least for me, it requires a somewhat reclusive lifestyle.  And all of that isolation certainly did not prepare me for this very large – extremely high profile –  social event.

It was a warm and cloudless evening that Friday night, and for our family, the evening bordered on unbelievable.  It felt like a movie.  Rosemarie, Sam, Kate (Rosemarie’s sister) and I had all traveled to Washington for the big night.  The evening started with cocktails and a delicious dinner of lobster and filet mignon (Sam commented that they gave us two dinners).  After dinner, the director of the National Portrait Gallery, Marc Pachter announced the awards.  Then he asked if I wanted to say a few words, and I did, nervously.  I told a little story about Sam’s day, about how he had spent 45 minutes riding the huge escalators at DuPont Circle, and had a great time.

A short time later, they announced the awards again to a larger gathering of people downstairs at the “Dessert and Champagne Reception.” The NPG staff had Sam, Rosemarie and I stand next to my painting side by side.  As they announced again that I had won, Sam left my side and stepped out in front me – in a sense became part of the audience – and clapped as loud as he could.  His little fingers bent backwards as he clapped, the palms of his hands hitting first, due to his low muscle tone and loose joints. There was a huge ear-to-ear smile on his face, and he beamed as he looked up at me.  He could not have been happier.  I’ll never forget it.

All of this took place as some of the greatest men and women in our nation’s history looked on through photo emulsion, oil paint, and stone.  Nearby hangs a painting of Thomas Jefferson who penned these words in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…”  And all night long people came up to Sam, one after another, to congratulate him.

My website: www.davidmlenz.com

Image 1: Photograph of Sam and Rosemarie at the awards dinner