I began building the story of Kevin's life after several conversations, photos, and using my interior design instincts to design a piece of art that fits their personal style and a good amount of research on my own.
The top of the painting was from a photo I consider iconic for the times. Seems it was mandatory to have a pic in front of the family car, right? I only have a couple dozen photos of myself as a child and sure enough, one is in front of a car! The original photo was so tiny to begin with I had a heck of a time and a few redo's to get his features to my liking. Lots of tiny brushes were used, as you can imagine. I actually moved little Kevin over to a better spot in front of the car. As an artist you get to do that, you know. Just pick em up and move em over. Sorry, I took this pic quickly so it's crooked, but you get the idea.
Kevin's love for water skiing just had to be included. Again, the facial features were so important to me and the hardest to capture. I think that's my 5th try.
When I presented this to Kevin and his wife Karen (my sneaky collaborator) I can't even begin to express the joy I had in watching them discover the layers and hidden meanings that make it so personal for them. Karen texted me later that they were still finding hidden treasures.
What they don't realize is each layer of Kevin's life was covered equally in paint and prayer. This is my gift back to them. Look out Kevin!
I never thought of that before, but you're right! The oldest pictures I have seen of my parents and grandparents are all in front of the car! Beautiful work!
ReplyDeleteI know Diane. People had one car and it must have been a part of the family, ya know?
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