Papa Knows

"Papa Knows..."

18" x 14" Oil on Canvas
NFS

(Click on image for larger view.)

Bagatelles:

When my youngest nephew was about six months old, on his first Christmas he became ill. I remember my brother, Bill, closely holding his crying baby saying, "Daddy knows, Daddy knows..." For some reason that has stuck with me. Here 24 years later, Bill is now a grandfather. At Christmas I caught a photo of him comforting his tired and sleepy two-year old grandson, Ryley. That's how this painting came about and thus the title "Papa Knows..."

"Papa Knows" is not meant to be a portrait, but an expression of adult-to-child compassion. There is, however, a pretty darn close resemblance to Bill, as well as to Ryley's back side.

Meanderings:

There's a fine line I don't want to cross when doing a tender subject in painting--becoming entirely too sugary sweet. I wanted to give a direct expression of a grandfather comforting his grandson without getting all gooey about it. Being emotionally connected myself, it's hard to know if I pulled that off. And that begs the question "should an artist even try to detach emontionally from her subject." I don't think so. I think if we have our attitudes in the right place and are responding honestly to our subjects, it will take care of itself.

The other side of this is what the viewer brings to the painting. Some will get it. Some will write it off as too sentimental. But as artist, I respond. The world decides. And that's just how it works.