A Fun Portrait

I was commissioned to do a portrait of two little girls. From past experience I knew that they wouldn’t sit still while I painted them. I decided I would take several photographs of them and try to work from those images. The younger child sat on the floor and grinned at me the whole time. The older girl cried and tried to run away. I didn’t quite know what to do. Finally it was decided to get out some crayons and a coloring book. She still refused to look at me, but became quite enthralled with coloring. I got down on the floor  with the camera and started shooting.

The painting turned out quite well. Actually, the older child seems quite charming as she concentrates on her crayon, while the baby smiles away, very happily. I’ve painted this very loosely – or should I say I did it in an impressionist manner. I portrayed an atmosphere more than a photographic image. I hope their mother will always remember what it felt like when her babies were young.