Former Gov. Gina Raimondo's official portrait looks different in more than the obvious way

PROVIDENCE − The first portrait of a female governor will soon go up in the State House after former Gov. Gina Raimondo's likeness was unveiled last night.

The airy painting portrays Raimondo on a Narragansett beach, her hand resting on a seawall with the Rhode Island and United States flags flying in the background.

Raimondo says the portrait is symbolic of how she views her time as governor.

"I did try to bring change to the State House," she said. "I tried to bring a new approach and some new ideas and so, the fresh air. Having this painting outside, it's very bright, and of course the first woman, and I hope it reflects the change we tried to bring about."

Raimondo lauded the Rhode Island economy and the reduction in unemployment, especially in the trades.

"We did resuscitate this economy. It's not finished, of course, but it was a turning point," she said.

Raimondo recounted how she would listen in her office as just outside her door the State House tour guide would tell students that no woman was on the wall of governors, but one day, Raimondo's portrait would be the first to hang there.

"I could hear the girls go 'ahh!'" she said. "That's so great, that's so cool.'"

Who painted Gina Raimondo's portrait?

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts received 350 applications from artists and narrowed the list to 11, which it gave to Raimondo. Raimondo then chose New York-based artist Patricia Watwood to paint her portrait.

How much did the painting cost?

The painting cost $50,000.

How long did the painting take?

In total, the painting took about a year, Watwood said.

The initial composition and sketching took two to three months, and it involved two sittings with Raimondo, which also included conversations on what to wear, what to choose as the setting and whether she should sit or stand, Watwood said.

Is there meaning behind the painting?

Raimondo's portrait is a stark contrast with all the other portraits of governors, where suits are dark blue or black and most are seated indoors. In her painting, Raimondo wears a white suit with a black blouse, inverting the normal layering.

The white suit is symbolic of the Suffragist movement and the passage of the 19th Amendment, which prohibited voting discrimination based on sex, Watwood said.

Raimondo said she immediately knew she wanted her portrait to be set at the beach.

"I have a love of Rhode Island beaches. We are the Ocean State," Raimondo said. "I want people to feel an openness, I want people to know this is the people's house, their house."

Some of the specific touches in the painting are not symbolic, but rather, factual, such as the flowering beach rose (a non-native species) and rock cairns on the beach.

Raimondo's portrait features the beach as a background. Is it the only one?

While Raimondo's portrait will be the brightest, it will not be the first in the State House to be set on a beach, or set outside.

Two portraits, including Raimondo's, have been set at the beach, while a third was set outside, with a view of the ocean.

John Wanton, a Colonial governor of Rhode Island from 1734 to 1740, had the ocean as his backdrop.

Gov. William Sprague IV, who served from 1860 to 1863, had his colorful, if dark, portrait set at sunset on a beach with him on horseback.

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Reach reporter Wheeler Cowperthwaite at wcowperthwaite@providencejournal.com or follow him on Twitter @WheelerReporter.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Former RI Gov. Gina Raimondo's official portrait unveiled