Renowned Minnesota artist seeks community help to finish Walter Mondale portrait

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (FOX 9) - As lawmakers, friends and family gathered to memorialize former Vice President Walter Mondale, portrait artist Mark Balma continued work on a portrait of the iconic Minnesotan that will hang in the Minnesota History Center upon completion. 

The work is being funded by a GoFundMe and is being done for the Minnesota Historical Society. 

 "We felt that it was more important that the community of Minnesota come together to create this. It's a thank you and honor for his years of service to the state and the nation," Balma said during an interview in his studio in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis.  

Balma, a Minnestoa, Italian trained artist renowned for his fresco paintings, said he began the portrait about a year ago, using a style pioneered by Leonardo Davinci that utilizes light, thin layers and is similar to watercolor. 

In his past portrait work, including paintings of former presidents Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush, Balma was able to sit with his subjects.

Since that wasn't possible with Mondale, Balma used historical photos and sent drawings to the Mondale family as well as Governor Tim Walz and Senator Amy Klobuchar for their input and feedback. 

"I was lucky to have met the Mondale's, you know, many, many years ago and to have the chance to be around him and in and study his face. But it's always hard when you don't have the person actually sitting for you," he said. 

The painting will take six or seven months to complete and shows the former U.S. Senator standing with his right hand slightly outreached like he is gesturing in conversation while his left hand holds a piece of paper.    

"I tried to create Mondale in an open and engaging way, not sitting at a desk, not withdrawn, but open and engaging with the public, which I think expresses the kind of person he was," Balma said.