Spring Morning (greeting card)
Spring Morning | 7”x 5” | Greeting Card
There is something delightful about children when they are in their natural state, not all prettied up. Morning hair is typically considered unattractive and to be “fixed” as a matter of course each day. However, it can be a thing of beauty, as it is in this scene where everything intimates the hope and joy of a new day.
On this Spring morning, a Saturday, my wife asked me to wake our eight year old Emma. Now waking Emma was typically not a pleasant experience, one to be avoided, given that she generally moaned about being woken. As I apprehensively entered her room it occurred to me that if I opened her window blinds, she may see that it was light outside and that it made sense to wake up, ‘without moaning’. After opening the blinds I walked around and nudged her on the shoulder. She sat up and, to my amazement, did not moan or even say anything.
Considering myself lucky, and not wanting to break the spell, I too did not say anything, but simply backed out of the room. Then, with a last glance, it occurred to me that this was a beautiful scene. I grabbed my camera out of the next room and went right back in. She was still sitting there and I took several pictures.
The end result is that now, we all have this beautiful painting to enjoy, which would never have come together with such striking light and shadows, had she not previously been a morning moaner.
A couple of changes I made to the actual scene include making the digital readout on her Barbie radio read 8 to reflect her age. Also, I altered the folds in Em’s baby blanket (which she still loves and has on her bed at age 20) to include a heart shape.
I very much enjoy and appreciate the opportunities I am sometimes given, in commissions, to paint such “real life” scenes. Real treasures for real families... for generations.
Awards / Honors
- 1st place, Logan Fine Art Gallery, Fall Salon, 2015
"You should have the Art you Love."