June – Forever Young


June
A friend approached me with a request; could I paint his mother. It struck me as being somewhat of an unusual request, until I remembered his mother died when he was a boy. I accepted the commission before I had seen any of the reference photos, because I completely understood the need to bring our beloved relatives back to life, even in a painting. As I painted June, I felt like I got to know her. Even though she is young in the photos, I realize she is close to my age, and was born just a couple of years before I was. And here I am aging, and she is not. She’s beautiful, happy, surrounded by her children as she rests at the beach. As I got familiar with this smiling woman, I hoped that somehow the smiles that she gave me would also give back to her family, with this portrait.


6 responses to “June – Forever Young”

  1. June was a very dear friend of mine whom I think of often and smile…you have captured her beautifully.

  2. I think you captured her essence and her beauty – and it does look as though she is smiling right at us. Thank you so very much for the beautiful painting of my mom.

  3. Oh, my, what a beauty she is! It has just now occurred to me that you could do one of Grama Winnie Boothby. You know how she smiled…or maybe Donald remembers…with that sparkle, the gap in her front teeth that my very own son has too.

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