This past May, New York-based artist Joseph Daily unveiled a new commissioned portrait of William “Bill” Fox at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. Daily served as president of St. Lawrence University for 12 years, and the portrait was commissioned by the university to honor his legacy and years of service. 
William L. Fox, oil on linen, 46 x 34"“Mr. Fox posed for me in the president’s house, where he and his wife lived during his time at St. Lawrence,” Daily recalls. “He kindly allowed me to use a large sitting room as a photography and painting studio.” After a review of the university’s existing portrait collection, Daily determined that the portrait did not require an intricate background. “I thought that with just a bit of tweaking, the color of the walls behind him would harmonize nicely with the blues in his clothing,” Daily explains. “We considered including some university-specific furniture, but in the end, we decided that the shadow patterns on the walls and the university seal would be enough to fill out the composition.” The seal, seen in the bottom left of the portrait, was taken from a pair of swinging doors that lead into the room. “I took a few pictures and photoshopped them into the composition, experimenting with several different sizes, locations and colors before settling on what’s in the painting. I think it’s fitting that the pen in Mr. Fox’s hands is pointing towards the university seal.”
On his thoughts about what makes a portrait a work of art, Daily says, “I believe that the primary purpose of art is to resonate with the viewer on a spiritual level, and my favorite works of art exhibit qualities that somehow elevate the subject matter above the specificity of earthly time and space. This can be difficult to achieve with formal portraiture, which by its nature tends to deal with specific subjects, time periods and locations,” he adds. “Still, regardless of the circumstances of the commission, every portrait offers the artist the direct opportunity to capture timeless qualities of the human spirit in paint.”
Currently, the artist remains busy in his studio in rural upstate New York with several upcoming commissions, including another university president portrait. Daily’s past notable commissions include portraits of María Pabón, the first woman to be a full time dean of Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, Minnie S. Churchill, director of the Churchill Heritage, Martin G. McGuinn, CEO of Mellon Bank, Dr. Ralph Izzo, chairman of the board at Rutgers University and Julie E. Wollman, PhD, the first woman president of Widener University, to name just a few.
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