watercolor, 21 x 29 inches, 1995

This is a full sheet watercolor I did many years ago when my daughter Kate was just 3. It is a nice watercolor of our Christmas tree of that year. Hopefully with a bit of mystery in the mood and lighting.

But for me there is more back story. It is more that just a painting of a holiday decoration. Kate was very sick with a bad cough that was keeping her awake and making it hard for her to breath. SHe was too young to really understand what was going on, but she was scared. I got her out of bed around 2 in the morning and we went out on the porch where the cold night air seemed to calm her coughing. And then I sat with her cradled on my chest on the couch. We just quietly looked at the tree, for a long time over the night.

She eventually fell asleep sitting with me. And of course she eventually got better.

This tree painting, for me, is about that night. Caring for my daughter who was scared and ill. And me as a young parent with the inevitable worries, “Is this just a cold? Will she get better? Is this pneumonia?” The painting is about my love for my daughter.

So when looking at someone’s art, if you like the painting, try to imagine the why behind the artist creating the piece. Often there is more than first meets the eye.