A few months ago, I learned about the 2009 Boots To Heal juried art show which will be held at Morton Street Gallery this October. (For my friends who aren't artists, a juried show means that a judge decides whether your entry will even make it into the final show for judging). Proceeds from Boots to Heal will be going to the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Children's Charities. The main requirement in all art submitted for the show is that there be "boots" somewhere in the artwork. I completed 2 entries, the first of which you see here of my boys, painted from a photograph taken on Fort Bend County Fair Day when they were little guys. I super-imposed them onto a photo I had taken a couple of years ago of a horse in the yard of a historical site in Richmond.
Honestly, I had so much fun with the title, it gave me lots of creative enthusiasm as I painted. One surprise for me was how few paint strokes I was able to use to get it to look like my son on the left. For someone who agonizes over every little paint stroke when I do portraits, this was a welcome diversion from the norm.
I'll let you know when I hear whether my entries make it into the show - it would be a real honor - and I'll also be posting my other entry which was a true labor of love.
New Sheriff In Town
14"x18" oil on canvas
