1:04 p.m., May 13, 2009----When Time magazine was planning its special May 11 issue, “The Time 100 -- The World's Most Influential People,” it turned to David Brinley, University of Delaware assistant professor of art, to paint a portrait of one of those most influential people, Oprah Winfrey.

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The commission came of the blue, Brinley said, although he had done other work for Time. He recalled the first thing he did after being asked to do the portrait was to rush to the TV and turn it on The Oprah Winfrey Show, to study her closely from an artist's point of view.

Painting Winfrey was a special honor, he said, because she is the only one of 100 honorees who has been included every year since the special issue began.

He also was pleased to be among well-known illustrators chosen for the project, such as Anita Kunz and Jeffrey Smith, who taught him at the Art Center in Pasadena, Calif.

“I ran with the sketch, did it quickly, using my wife as a model for lighting and position, sent it in and had it approved with no changes,” Brinley said. He then worked on the finished painting for two or three days, and it too received approval.

Winfrey was featured twice in the issue -- not only was she honored in the Heroes and Icons section, she wrote an essay on Michelle Obama. In her by-line Time described Winfrey as a “global media leader and international philanthropist.”

“Diane Sawyer, co-anchor of the Good Morning America wrote the essay on Oprah, but I did not have access to it,” Brinley said. “What I tried to convey was the woman beyond the TV personality who has been involved in charitable endeavors worldwide, especially in Africa. I used red for her dress to convey power, and painted her with a slight smile and bright eyes looking forward to the future.”

Article by Sue Moncure