Artist amazed that painting is still hanging

Bennett Taylor, The Stool

Struggling St. Paul artist Sam Shandmire has had a considerable amount of trouble displaying his work. The self-proclaimed "Expert Portrait Painter" has been rejected by nearly every art gallery in the metro area, but his determination to be recognized has led him to seek alternative means of presenting his work to the public.

"I've been trying to display this painting since 1996," said Shandmire. "It's a portrait of my mother. None of the galleries would touch it, but you can easily see the quality of the work." Shandmire had given up on the painting until a friend accidentally gave him inspiration. "He said that my mom looked really stately in the portrait," commented Shandmire, "like a president or a judge. That's what gave me the idea,"

Shandmire followed his gut and hung the portrait on the first floor of William Mitchell College of Law. "The crazy thing is, no one has taken it down," said Shandmire. "I hung the thing up a month ago, and people just automatically assume that it belongs there. I mean, I'm sure that there are some people who wonder who it's a painting of, but I think it's fantastic that it's still there."