"Grandma by the Wood Stove"

12x9 NFS

My Grandma died in 1996 at 96 years of age. A black and white photo  was taken when she was in her early 80's, and I have always liked it. I thought about creating a painting using that photo as reference, but never quite got inspired. Then I say Katie Wilson-Bernatas' paintings, and they gave me the kick I needed. I remember this dress so well; it was checkered, but I didn't think that added to the painting. Normally, I would generalize the face a bit more, but I felt the need to make it look like her as much as possible. That was hard! I went through quite a few old lady faces before I got close. This is close. She had this expression where she pursed her lips, making a perfect little "O". The posture is definitely Grandma. She wore corsets and when you hugged her she was hard as a rock. She never wore pants- always dresses. This was a nice experience, enjoying all the memories while I painted. Thank you, Katie!