• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Inside Press

Magazines serving the communities of Northern Westchester

  • Home
  • Advertise
    • Advertise in One or All of our Magazines
    • Advertising Payment Form
  • Digital Subscription
    • Subscribe
    • Subscriber Login
  • Print Subscription
  • Contact Us

The Portraits of Laurel Stern Boeck

March 7, 2014 by The Inside Press

Governor Jodi Rell
Governor Jodi Rell

By Sarah Ellen Rindsberg

It’s not every day that one receives a call from Jodi Rell, former Governor of Connecticut or meets with Dennis Hastert, former speaker of the House. For Laurel Stern Boeck, one of the nation’s foremost portrait artists, working with accomplished and fascinating clients are a unique perk and all in a day’s work. Her success in the competitive field of portraiture is evident in her many prestigious commissions, including esteemed men and women in politics, military, business, judicial and academic circles.

The art of portraiture became the center of Boeck’s world at an early age. “I have always loved drawing and painting. I focused on capturing faces, spending day’s just drawing eyes, then noses, and then mouths. I remember examining the structure of each part of the face, the real character of the person developed as my skills and technique became more advanced.”

While attending the School of Visual Arts in New York, Boeck studied illustration and design.  She worked as a freelance illustrator and became an art director for an ad agency in NYC.

Kenneth Standard of the Harvard Club
Kenneth Standard of the Harvard Club

She continued pursuing her love of portraits while working, and found her mentor in master artist John Murray. She studied with him for many years, learning the craft and techniques of the Old Masters. “That journey toward excellence was one of the most rewarding times in my life.” Boeck recalled, “Each day that I grasped a new concept or mastered a difficult technique was thrilling.”  She honed her skills and developed her own unique style, which led to her first portrait commissions, and launched her artistic career.

Boeck’s classical representational style portrays the extraordinary spirit as well as the fine nuances of her subjects. Boeck is widely known for her attention to detail; the appropriate treatment of a client’s hands is as important as the subtle mixture of flesh tones. “I try to be very faithful to the topography of the face, “she says. “Ultimately I want the portrait to reflect the person, if I am faithful to what I see, their personality will come through.”

A most recent representation of her philosophy appears in her portrait of the editor and publisher of this magazine, Grace Bennett. The result is stunning. (See Grace’s own sidebar about the experience!)

Painting has provided her with a wonderful work/life balance. After a day trip to Washington to meet with a subject, Boeck lands at Westchester airport to spend the evening with her husband and children. Most days she paints in the spacious art studio she designed and added to her Bedford home. Part of her mission is to nurture other artists. She does this by teaching at the Katonah Art Center, hosting a painting workshop in her studio and with a personalized mentorship program for artists looking to accelerate their careers and broaden their horizons.

Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House
Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House

Boeck believes “the best portraits both capture the essence of the subject, and are infused with the spirit of their life.”  Along with famous subjects, Laurel also commissions everyday portrait and event work.  For more info, please visit: www.boeckstudio.com

 Sarah Ellen Rindsberg thinks Boeck’s portrait of the publisher masterfully captured Bennett’s entrepreneurial spirit and vivacious personality.

On Being Painted by Laurel…

Laurel and I were introduced by a mutual friend. I love art and was intrigued by an offer to sit with an artist who gets to paint all day. It sounded like a dream come true. Little did I know the surprise awaiting me in Laurel’s Westchester studio!

North light windows, a plethora of tubes of paint, brushes galore and several easels filled a high ceiling, airy sunlit room; an office area upstairs accommodates the business of doing art too. Paintings were in full view everywhere, from large and small finished commissions to small, unfinished but still delightful oil sketches.

Grace Bennett
Grace Bennett

Laurel and I hit it off right away; following tea and treats, her welcoming spirit put me at ease as she spent time considering how to pose and light me on the large model stand.

The sitting proceeded accompanied by conversation and enjoyable background music (she says the music helps her too!). Only on a few occasions did she suggest stillness and silence while working in the area of the eyes or mouth. “I do not mind movement,” she said. “It helps to keep the freshness and eliminates any stiffness in the pose. The true nature is then revealed.”  Posing breaks were granted every 20 minutes or so. I was amazed at the painting process and certainly very pleased to view such an appealing representation of myself on canvas!

–Grace BennettGrace-sitting-in-progress_edited-1

Filed Under: Gotta Have Arts Tagged With: Design, Drawing, Fine art, Illustration, Paintings, Portraits

Primary Sidebar

Please Visit

William Raveis – Armonk
William Raveis – Chappaqua
White Plains Hospital
Houlihan Lawrence – Armonk
Houlihan Lawrence – Briarcliff
Houlihan Lawrence – Chappaqua
NYOMIS – Dr. Andrew Horowitz
Raveis: Lisa Koh and Allison Coviello
Purple Plains
Compass: Miller-Goldenberg Team
Korth & Shannahan
Douglas Elliman: Chappaqua
Houlihan Lawrence: Harriet Libov
World Cup Gymnastics
Roamfurther Athletics
Play Nice Together
Houlihan: Kile Boga-Ibric
Dr. Briones Medical Weight Loss Center
Pinksky Studio
Temple Beth El

Follow our Social Media

The Inside Press

Our Latest Issues

For a full reading of our current edition, or to obtain a copy or subscription, please contact us.

Inside Armonk Inside Chappaqua and Millwood Inside Pleasantville and Briarcliff Manor

Join Our Mailing List


Search Inside Press

Links

  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Digital Subscription
  • Print Subscription

Publisher’s Note Regarding Our Valued Sponsors

Inside Press is not responsible for and does not necessarily endorse or not endorse any advertisers, products or resources referenced in either sponsor-driven stories or in advertisements appearing in this publication. The Inside Press shall not be liable to any party as a result of any information, services or resources made available through this publication.The Inside Press is published in good faith and cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in advertising or sponsor driven stories that appear in this publication. The views of advertisers and contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher’s.

Opinions and information presented in all Inside Press articles, such as in the arena of health and medicine, strictly reflect the experiences, expertise and/or views of those interviewed, and are not necessarily recommended or endorsed by the Inside Press. Please consult your own doctor for diagnosis and/or treatment.

Footer

Support The Inside Press

Advertising

Print Subscription

Digital Subscription

Categories

Archives

Subscribe

Did you know you can subscribe anytime to our print editions?

Voluntary subscriptions are most welcome, if you've moved outside the area, or a subscription is a great present idea for an elderly parent, for a neighbor who is moving or for your graduating high school student or any college student who may enjoy keeping up with hometown stories.

Subscribe Today

Copyright © 2025 The Inside Press, Inc. · Log in