CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) - A young girl from Cambridge is showcasing her portrait of former First Lady Michelle Obama and even got the chance to see the famous Obama portraits at the Museum of Fine Arts, hoping one day her own work will end up in the museum.
The Cambridge Community Arts Center took eight-year-old Grace Jean to the Museum of Fine Arts Thursday to see the famous of portraits of the Obamas after they had students paint pictures for their gallery “Iconic Black Figures.”
“I choose to do Michelle Obama because Michelle Obama inspired me a lot, she always said follow your dreams,” Grace said, adding that every brush stroke had an intention behind it. “I thought at first that I would be able to do this. But then I started drawing it, it was kinda a bit hard; when you draw on real canvas it’s way harder to draw it.”
The center took Grace to the MFA to see the portrait of Michelle Obama painted by artist Amy Sherald along with Kehinde Wiley’s portrait of former President Barak Obama, which received widespread acclaim. Both Sherald and Wiley are the first African Americans to paint official portraits of the president and the first lady.
Grace said she feels inspired by the portrait of the former first lady.
“I think that it is really good,” Grace said. “It has really good details and shows a lot about Michelle Obama.”
Grace said her dream is to one day have her work displayed at the MFA and would be proud if Michelle Obama ever sees her picture.
“I would want her to say that I’ve done a really good job and I’ve done a really good job re-creating her,” Grace said.
The paintings of the former president and first lady have been traveling around the U.S. on a national tour and will be at the MFA until Sunday, Oct. 30.
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