LOOKING BACK!

This piece had a sad story, I worked in an art shop and a customer came in looking for someone who could paint a portrait, I volunteered myself and he looked at my folio,. He then produced just four photographs,. He said these were all the pictures he had of his son as a young man,. The boy had recently died suddenly of leukaemia at 17.. I looked at the photos and was drawn to this image,. It was casual and chilled and somehow, comforting. The man left and this is the painting I produced,. It was quite big (about A2, acrylic on canvas board), when the father came back to pick up the painting,. Out of respect I took him into the shop gallery to show him, I was so nervous,. A lot was hanging on this moment, I unveiled the picture and there was silence.. he looked at me… and burst into tears… I didn’t know what to do, my instinct was to hug him, but I didn’t know him,,. I fought back tears and said I’d give him a minute. He came out with the painting and said it would be in his family for the whole of his life. This was 30 years ago. I’ve just rediscovered this copy..

it still moves me.