Portrait painter Darren Gygi gave a presentation to our BNI business networking group this morning. Gygi (pronounced ‘ghee-ghee’) is an exceptional portrait artist based in the Utah Valley, and doing work for people all over the country. He specializes in custom portraiture and has done some remarkable paintings of famous people, local business people, families, and individuals.

His portraits are memorable heirlooms that raise a smile, make a point, or capture memories. With a quick wit, Darren entertained our BNI group this morning, showing us a sampling of his interesting and often humorous artwork (his stylized portraits are hilarious!). Darren showed his impressive range of styles from a lifelike painting of a young girl, to a light-hearted portrait of Al Gore, and surprisingly detailed black-and-white drawings of people doing various activities.

I was pretty amazed at the level of detail and personality in each of his traditional portraits. Darren is one of those remarkable artists who seems to paint more than just a picture. His work really captures the moment, and emphasize elements of personality with expression. He builds encapsulating themes that speak louder than words to tell more of the story.

Darren is truly creative, and can turn an ordinary photograph of your spouse into an everlasting moment of victory on the golf course, or a snapshot of passion as his subject races to the finish line. Darren has created impressive artworks that portray integrity, excitement, and that special moment between a mother and a small child. I really like his work!

The exciting part for you and I about what Darren Gygi does is that it is available, right here in our own back yard. Often I see portraits and illustrations in magazines and think ‘who does this cool stuff?’ and wonder how cool it would be if I could have my family done in a stylized portrait, each of us doing something super. Now I know the guy who will do it for us.

You can see examples of Darren’s work on his website at www.darrengygi.com. You will see samples of work he has done for magazines, private individuals, and even corporate commissions. His work has a broad range from hilarious caricatures to inspirational realism.

His prices are very reasonable, and not as expensive as you would initially assume. Time is dependent on the complexity of the subject. He can do simpler work in as little as a couple days, so if you are coming up short on a unique gift for someone deserving of an heirloom quality artwork, Darren is your man.

You can reach Darren via his online portfolio website, and in particular, via his Contact Us page.