In
1987, Jan Roblin began painting a biographical portrait of
Willie Nelson in her studio in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. A month
before, she had visited the Willie Nelson Museum in Nashville
and had received permission to paint Willie's biographical
portrait from photos given to her by Willie's friend and Fan
Club president, who managed the store and museum.
For three years, Jan worked
from those photos, and twice she took the work in progress
to the museum to be approved. When the painting was completed,
she mailed an 8x10 photo to Nashville for final approval.
It was approved, and the original painting was to be presented
to Willie at his Spring Jam in East Tennessee, in 1991. This
never happened, for, on the night of December 13, 1990, Jan
Roblin's gallery was destroyed by fire, along with all its
contents...including Willie's biographical portrait!
Jan Roblin has now perfected
a technique in which she reproduces this painting on canvas
and personally enhances each one in oil, before signing and
numbering the artwork.
