Audrey's Parade

For "Loyalty to Liberty" on July 3, 2011

This was for a Fourth of July broadcast.  This little girl was asking her father questions about patriotism and their country while waiting for the hometown parade.  Unfortunately, as I was painting this, I realized I hadn't planned on painting any other people on the sidewalks--only Audrey and her dad Brian!  Whoops!  That would have been quite a boring town--and why would a whole parade come for just two people anyway?  So I drew and painted all the rest of the neighborhood watchers, then Photoshopped them into the final painting.  I hope you can't tell.

Henry David Thoreau

From "Finding Joy in the Journey" on May 22, 2011

Thank you Scott for posing for me, even after you sold your house and had moved out!  And thank you Ruth for allowing me to photograph your new home's previous owner in his old bedroom!

Over Bananas

There is a Polynesian fable, one which is more violent than is here related.  A monkey and a turtle were friends.  One day Monkey saw a banana stalk floating down the river.  He wanted the bananas but couldn't swim, so he suggested to Turtle that he retrieve it, and they'd split it and plant their parts.

From "The Fruits of Selflessness" on April 17, 2011

Once Turtle brought the banana stalk back, however, treacherous Monkey took the top half of the stalk, with all the bananas, and ran off.  But Turtle knew that his part had the roots, so it would grow into more banana stalks over and over, while Monkey's bananas would be the last, and would never grow anymore again.

I like using this children's book, storytelling style of illustration, so it was a fun opportunity.  Plus, I got to learn about how bananas grow!

Elder Wirthlin

Joseph B. Wirthlin said,

"Over the course of my years, I have met thousands of people. I have dined with the prosperous as well as the poverty-stricken. I have conversed with the mighty and with the meek. I have walked with the famous and the feeble. I have run with outstanding athletes and those who are not athletically inclined. 

(read from right to left)

 One thing I can tell you with certainty is this: You cannot predict happiness by the amount of money, fame, or power a person has. External conditions do not necessarily make a person happy… The fact is that the external things so valued by the world are often the cause of a great deal of misery in the world. Those who live in thanksgiving daily, however, are usually among the world’s happiest people. And they make others happy as well." 

(read from left to right)

The Warden

I was asked to illustrate a story about a warden of San Quentin, a high-security prison in California.  The prisoners were not treated well before he arrived, and he made major changes and improved their way of life.  They respected him so much for it that he could walk among them, as he is doing here in the yard.

To find my men and yard to paint, I found the old Humphrey Bogart black and white film "San Quentin" on DVD.  Not too bad, except Bogart dies in the end doing the right thing.  I also found some old war images of soldiers and prisoners to use.  So if you recognize anyone in this picture, it's probably coincidence.

We Need Others

This was an interesting experiment in painting that we'd never tried before.  The story is about a man who gets sick, but he wants to keep it to himself, so only his wife knows.  But slowly, friends, home teachers, visiting teachers, neighbors, and family learn about it, and help him by bringing food, praying for him, etc.  

 What happened on the TV screen was, they showed the first painting, then the husband's and wife's expressions changed and people started fading into the scene one at a time, until you ended up with the second painting.  It looked like magic!

It was very time consuming on our end, though.  I had to paint both paintings, trying to get the backgrounds identical, which is impossible, and then I learned it was also unnecessary, since we painstakingly masked them completely out of their old background anyway.  In the end, I learned a lot, it was nifty to watch live, and I'm grateful to Lori, Bill, Alyssa, Brian, Mark, Ann, and Lydia for their help.  And thanks for the yummy cookies, Alyssa!