For the second time I have had the pleasure of painting my great niece and nephew, Abby and Colby Short. My sister Claudia, their grandmother, commissioned the painting as a surprise Christmas gift for the Short family. The photograph, taken several years ago, is her favorite of the children…and mine, as well. With a little help and a lot of encouragement from my mentor and teacher, artist Laine Francis, I was able to capture their sweet essence. I think that I am beginning to understand “value” better and the powerful juxtaposition of warm and cool colors on canvas.
As you might imagine, painting these precious children evoked a flood of family memories. I recall vividly the day my niece Christy was born. I was playing tennis when my sister called with the news. Over the years we have maintained a special and tender “aunt-niece’ relationship. Christy’s Colby was the first great-grandchild in the family and the only one my dad held before his untimely death two months later. Daddy would have loved sister Abby and my own grandchildren, Piper and Quinn.
Time passes and love endures. A ninth grade honors student, Colby won an award for outstanding defender on the JV soccer team. He wrestles, runs track and loves riding four-wheelers and dirt bikes. Abby is in the fourth grade gifted program. Her extracurricular activities make my head spin: piano, dance, hip hop, student council, indoor and outdoor soccer, arts and crafts, and GEMS (Girls Excelling in Math and Science), to name a few. I am incredibly proud of both of them. The painting makes me happy.
Generational love. My heart is full.
