"John and Kate" a Painting in Progress

Sometimes it's helpful to see how a painting has developed. I wanted to capture the sibling relationship between John and Kate as well as the sense of discovery children have when playing in shallow water. John is intent on moving boldly ahead while his sister shows her concern for him by her slightly turned head and upraised hand reaching towards him. Both poses imply the personality of these siblings.

"John and Kate" was a commissioned painting completed this past year. It was a fun painting for me to do as it brought back many wonderful childhood memories of my own and that of my children and grandchildren. Those memories helped me to relate to the children as I painted them.

To start the painting I used a warm orange based color to suggest the placement of forms. Some of this color was allowed to peak through subsequent layers of paint which helped to harmonize the flesh tones with the cool tones of vegetation and water. The overall effect was one of sparkle and freshness.