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Olga Sweet of New Canaan with polo player and model Ignacio Figueras and her oil painting portrait of him.
What do former President Jimmy Carter, Ignacio Figueras (voted second most handsome man in the world by Vanity Fair magazine), former CEO of Bear Stearns Alan Greenberg and young New Canaan resident Liam Glynn all have in common? They have all had oil painting portraits created by artist Olga Sweet of New Canaan.
Sweet, who grew up in Russia, started painting in that country when she was 16 years old, mostly portraiture.
“I find doing portraits, particularly of children, meaningful, beautiful and moving,” Sweet said.
Sweet studied with artist Ronald Sherr for more than four years when she and her family lived in Millbrook, N.Y., where they were before moving to New Canaan.
“He was just the most amazing teacher,” she said of Sherr, whose portraits of President George H.W. Bush and Colin Powell are in the National Portrait Gallery. His double portrait of the first President Bush and President George W. Bush hang in the Bush Presidential Library.
“Sherr is also the godfather to my youngest son, William,” Sweet said, referring to her 7-year-old.
Portraits of the rich and famous
Sweet and her husband, Robert and their sons (oldest is 14-year-old James) “love the game of polo for it’s international nature,” and travel to East Hampton often to watch the matches. She became intrigued with Argentinean polo player and model for the Polo by Ralph Lauren brand, Ignacio Figueras. After a friend introduced them, they spoke about the many photographs of him and how she wanted to paint his portrait. She presented it to him in September of 2012 at the Greenwich Polo Club.
“He was thrilled with it,” Sweet said.
She has also painted portraits of Karl von der Heyden, former vice chairman and CFO of PepsiCo.; Torquhil Campbell, the 13th Duke of Argyll [Scotland]; Dr. Frances D. Fergusson, former president of Vassar College; and Chef Brian Lewis, owner of Elm restaurant in New Canaan, among many others. She has also done portraits of the children of Countess Lucy von Stirum of New York City, as well as those of residents here in town.
Sweet said she receives her commissions through word of mouth.
Meeting and painting President Carter
One of Sweet’s favorite people to paint has been former President Jimmy Carter, whom she met 20 years ago while a visiting scholar at The Carter Center of Emory University in Atlanta, Ga.
“I feel so honored to know him,” Sweet said. “He has done a lot of good things.”
For 12 years, a portrait she created of Carter — a graphite drawing — has hung in the Carter Center, and this past year, she painted a portrait of him in oil and presented it to him with her family in tow.
“We went to President Carter’s office and spent about 20 to 25 minutes with him,” she said. “He asked my sons questions and was such a lovely man, so kind.”
William admired a small globe desk set on the president’s desk and when the family was leaving, Carter gave it to William.
“It was such an incredibly nice gesture!” she said.
The portrait process
All of Sweet’s portraits begin — and continue — with sittings, usually three, she said for children, and between two and three for adults.
“I start from a photo, but learn a lot more about the individual from the sittings. The most important thing in portraiture for me is to capture their character, the beauty in their life. With children, I want to try and capture their passion. I have so many emotions running through me during sittings.”
If the portrait is large, three feet by four feet, it takes her about a year-and-a-half to complete, and two to two-and-a-half months for smaller works.
All of her portraits are painted on linen, which she said has a very fine weave, which is perfect for fine details. “It is the most suitable, I find.”
Sweet also said she likes to try and “leave something unsaid in each portrait … to leave something to the imagination.”
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Olga Sweet of New Canaan presented a portrait she painted of former President Jimmy Carter to him this past year. Her family was by her side, including husband, Robert and sons William and James.