Papa

This piece resembles my grandpa holding a younger version of myself. Although the painting is based on a real photo of us reaching for Spanish moss, I focused on my childhood imagination rather than the memory’s reality. The time I spent with my grandpa as a child was filled with storytelling, typically of his past or a chapter of the Narnia books to me before bedtime.
My goal for this piece was to portray how my childhood imagination intertwines with my memories. While the “real” subjects of the painting are painted in acrylic with detail, the rest of the painting is less detailed, with larger brush strokes for the clouds or pasted-on stars. Additionally, small amounts of bright-blue wash are left between the subject and the background to separate us from the imaginative scenario.
I remember many of the wild and captivating stories he told me throughout my childhood which have an affect on the way I perceive the world today; although I might not remember the exact words of my grandpa’s stories, I remember how he taught me that the world has endless possibilities, and that I should “reach for the biggest stars” no matter what my goals are.