“Lean In Towards The Light”
oil pencil, watercolor, and pastel.
2016
This was commissioned by a Sewanee alumnus/former client (I drew him and his entire family years ago).

Suffice it to say that I heard of the circumstances (the daughter has been and will be gravely ill), and I said that I couldn’t possibly charge for this one. I assume that it will be a gift to the mother in the picture. I’ve never met either…..nor have I ever faced such sadness/loss in my own life. At the time (about a month ago), all I thought, looking at the originating photograph, was “I have to get rid of all the hospital paraphernalia, and I have to get this mother and daughter OUT of that hospital room….”. Silly, perhaps, of me to think that…but true…..
I’ve rarely taken a portrait so seriously (so to speak), and I hope that I’ve done something-good in this small portrait, which I’ll be mailing off South tomorrow.The title is taken from a very, very fine song by Carrie Newcomer…perhaps my favorite song by my favorite singer/songwriter. Go to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxAUmNjWaIs