My Dad

The women in my family are all fans of Jane Austen. We've read every book and/or seen every movie based on one of her novels. I noticed that in each production, and other period piece films, that there was always a scene in "the gallery", a room where all of the portraits of the homeowners' ancestors were on display. What a fantastic idea!! For the most part, paintings like this were largely forgotten, but I thought it might be interesting if my family had a gallery of our own based in the 19th century.

In all of my artistic endeavors, my dad was my biggest critic. He readily pointed out where I made mistakes, guided me when I reached a creative roadblock, but praised me when I did a job well. At first, he was a little skeptical when I told him my idea (at the time we had 11 people in the immediate family), but I talked him around. Needless to say, I wasn't too eager to paint his portrait when the time came.

My dad passed away earlier this month. My family and I miss him terribly, but we appreciate the stories, kind words, thoughts and prayers we've been receiving...it eases the pain a little to know so many people care. I will think about my dad every day, especially when I see the last portrait that he critiqued: it was of him. I'm glad he was pleased with it. For more information, please check out my brother Ulysses's blog.