Portrait Of A Little Girl

I can understand why some artists get hooked on doing children's portraits. American artist, Mary Cassatt,  is one of the first that comes to mind. She painted beauty, softness and innocence.

I feel fortunate each time I have the opportunity to paint a child's portrait. It's exciting every time. And in this instance, if you add to that a handmade blue dress lovingly sewn by her mother that is embellished with little white satin flowers handcrafted by her grandmother, it all becomes sentimental and lovely. In addition to that, I will go another layer deeper and tell you that her mother was painted in a portrait when she was a little girl and she sat in this same rocking chair. Another bit of family history in this painting is the buffet in the background - it was passed down from her great grandmother. History once again mixing with art and telling a story. I love it.

Now that I've drawn in her image with a thin layer of burnt sienna, I am ready to pull out the rest of my paints and get busy.