Once again, local resident and artist Suzanne Osterweil Weber unites acrylic with canvas in the name of the Niarchos family. This time it's the latest generation and grandchildren to the famout Greek shipping magnet, Stavros Niarchos, in a creation called The Niarchos Children (50 by 46).

The prelude the this portrait, Life Magazine Family (50 by 46), painted by Osterweil Weber in 1976, was inspired by a photograph of Stavros Niarchos and his wife, and four young children which she discovered covered in a copy of Life magazine over 30 years ago. Suzanne's predominant method of painting incorporates a photorealist format, painting from photographs.

In November of 2005 Suzanne met with Spyros Niarchos, son of Stavros and one of the children in the painting, at his Park Avenue apartment in New York City. Mr. Niarchos was so moved by this interpretation of his immediate family, representing a precious moment of his childhood, that he purchased the portrait and commissioned Osterweil Weber to paint his three children who live in London. This process began five months later in April of this year.

Upon completion of an engaging photo-shoot at the New York City apartment with Suzanne at the camera's helm, the final image being selected, and two months of painting, the Niarchos children had arrived, a truly captivating result of the three siblings.

Among many striking aspects of this painting are the distinct and varying personalities of each subject, so exactly conceived by the artist. Serene and ultra-feminine Ines (age 11), playful and delighted Alexis (14), and gentle, shy Nicolas (17) come forth with such clarity. There is also an immediate sense of how connected they are to eachother, a true devotion.

"My style has changed considerably over the years. While I was working in the 70s from "found" photos, although I always aimed at capturing the resemblance, I was more concerned with the totality of the composition, the statement I was trying to make. I rarely painted the eyes, which are now immensely important in my portaits. The three children each having different colored eyes contributes to the arresting-power of the picture, as well as in the differences in the children's personalities.
These are worldly, sophisticated youngsters who move in a very wide sphere, so that although they are like teenagers the world over with typical teen tastes, they are also two princes and a little princess with great poise and manners," reflects Suzanne.

Since retiring in 1997 from a career in education, always in parallel with her painting, Suzanne has fully embraced painting portraits with an increasing number of achieved local commissions including a recently completed work of Carolynn Diakon, owner of Resourses Real Estate in Rumson, and her young daughter Gabrielle.

In addition, some of her paintings have been on view and bid upon at a variety of local charity events such as The Hallisey Boys (36 by 24) at the Cancer Ball in June 2006. And at the Power of Pink Luncheon held on the Pete Dawkins estate in Rumson this summer a replica of one of her paintings was the door prize.

Earlier works by the artist, also based on magazine photographs, include famous sports figures the likes of Bobby Orr, Lyle Alzado (currently hanging in the National Art Museum of Sport in Indianapolis), Ken Dryden, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.