Sisters

Eleven days ago I watched a video  Why People Commission Portraits by Gwenn Seemel. 

(take a moment  watch her video) 

One of the reasons it struck a cord with me is because I am a portraiture artist.  

In the video she speaks about many different reasons someone may commission a portrait.  

The one main reason someone would commission is portrait is "making special".  

You make something special when you make it into art.

A painted portrait has a hand made quality about it that a photograph lacks.

I looked up from my computer to see a photo of my sisters and I from 2007.

This was a special moment for us so I decided to make it 

even more special by making it a piece of art.

I finished it today!

Here it is!

The actual photo was captured in 2007.

When we were together we would go into laughing fits, sometimes for no reason. 

Just acting silly.  One would laugh then the others would follow suit.

During this time when we were having our photo taken Judy decided to pinch Linda's butt. 

Linda burst out laughing.

That is all it took to create a chain reaction of antics that continued for a while.

When I close my eye and  become still I can recall the laughter from that moment time.

"Making Special"

that is exactly what I did by painting this portrait.

Thank You, Gwenn!

Making Special

After I was finished with my morning rituals, I go into my studio and  the first thing I saw was Gwenn Seemel's video , "Why people commission portraits".  I loved it so much that I watched it several times.  My heart began to melt at the 11 second mark when she began to talk about the number one reason above all others why people commission art was making special.  I swear her face lit up!  You can tell she creates art from her soul.

Here's the video.  Please take a moment to watch it.  It's relevant to the rest of my story.

One of the things I normally do when I start my studio day is begin doing something, anything.  This morning it was varnishing several pieces I had done earlier and putting Polymer medium on canvas panels.  Then I go to my computer to check emails.  Above my computer monitor is a photo that was taken at Christmas time 2007 of me and my sisters.  It's been hanging in the same place for a very long time.

The two sisters in the middle were laughing so hard because one sister  (Judy) was pinching the other sister (Linda) in the butt.   I seemed like whenever we would all get together we would laugh, sometimes uncontrollably,  at the weirdest stuff.  This was one of those moments.   When I think of my sisters, I want this to be my memory...

laughing at the stupid stuff.

Needless to say, it's 10 years later and things are not the same.  Judy is no longer with us and Bonnie is confined to a wheelchair.

Thru my tears, I feel an incredible pull at my heart to create a piece of art of me and my sisters.  So I followed my heart.

"Making Special"

Here's the rough sketch.

The Cash Kids

We are family...my brothers, my sisters, and me.

As a group, my parents often referred to us as "the 2 older girls and the 4 little ones".

As I was searching thru my memory bank for someone who had an impact on my life, these guys came to the forefront.

We each have totally different personalities which collectively made us a force to be reckoned with.

There's not enough time and it's difficult to share the impact that each of them have had on my life. 

Just know that it is big! 

The journey thru this course of reflection  has made me even more aware of that.

It was pleasing to my heart to spend the special quiet time with each person as I drew them.

I am grateful.

I am currently enrolled in several on-line classes that are offering the opportunity and tools to dig deep into our past for clarification.  

This prompt is from Jeanne Oliver's class Reflections : Paint Your Story . 

Creating a cast of characters who have played a role, good or bad, in your life.