Honoring with Art: Joseph Gyurcsak Creates a Portrait of Fred Mink

2018 came to a close with a very special edition to the FM Brush Company/Dynasty Brush conference room. Joseph Gyurcsak, Resident Artist/Brand Manager for Blick/Utrecht art supplies, gifted us a watercolor portrait of our very own Frederick V. Mink Jr., the former President and CEO of FM Brush

Watercolor portrait of Fred Mink by artist Joseph Gyurcsak

Along with the painting, Joe included the following poem:

Old Friend by J. Gyurcsak

A sparrow falls,

Branches wither,

You are gone,

Hopes are dashed,

Thunder rolls,

Tears flow,

You are gone,

My old friend,

Bitter sweet,

Your fading bones,

Stately you remained,

Until the end,

Gently, gently,

Into eternal sleep,

Free of struggle,

Beneath the pine,

You rest_______________                 

Gyurcsak, who has been painting for over 40 years, met Fred in the early 2000's at a meeting at Utrecht corporate headquarters. Through the years, Joe became close with Fred and our whole company as we worked on projects together. When Joe was working in the area, Fred would attend Joe's painting demos. "...That told me a lot about his character, he was very supportive of me as an artist. He was a genuine caring person who was always interested in what I had to say. I had the same mutual feelings for him."

As one can imagine, it took some time for Gyurcsak to begin such an tender project. "I waited a few years to absorb the loss of my friend, I wanted to be prepared to capture something in his spirit in the watercolor painting. These things can’t be rushed, especially when you are talking about emotions, memories and visual images of the person. You need time to connect with those memories and to sort out all the emotional connections then you can began to see the persons character more clearly." 

Jacqueline Mink, Fred's daughter and Director of Cosmetic and Retail Sales for FM Brush Company and Dynasty Brush, remarked that shortly after her father's passing Joe offered to paint a portrait of Fred "as a tribute to their friendship." Upon seeing the completed painting, Jackie said, "...I saw [my father's] essence. The smile and the twinkle in his eye that said so much; a warm friend, a loving father, and a champion of the arts. Good days and bad, the smile and the twinkle will remind us all to enjoy the journey….. because that is what he did."

Artist Joseph Gyurcsak
We at FM Brush Company and Dynasty Brush extend our heartfelt thanks to Joseph Gyurcsak for this touching memorial to our dear Fred. 

To learn more about artist Joseph Gyurcsak and his impressive body of work, please visit his website. Joe also designed a Splashes of Hope mural to honor Fred. You can read more about that project here

To learn more about Fred and his contributions to our company and the art community, you can read more here

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