Baby Love



Baby Love - Stage One

Throughout time, painters and sculptors have sought to capture tender moments of mother and child.   The appeal of the mother/baby image is universal and timeless.   I'm thinking there are few, if any people in the world that can't connect with the classic 'mother holding child' image.    I personally have always loved the intimate Mary Cassatt scenes, chubby babies staring into their mother's eyes, maybe placing fleshy fingers on her face as babies often do.

Our family's babies tend to have perfect faces and I really don't think I am exaggerating. :)   When I saw this photo, I thought it looked like my niece was in a near state of reverie as she held her precious baby.   He had grabbed a tangle of her hair around his chubby fingers to pull her face closer.

Baby Love Final

As you know, I have generally been too cautious with respect to including babies in my paintings.   It really is hard to do justice to their flawless little faces.   I continue to work at it because it has turned out to be very challenging and rewarding.

In Stage One, I was working at getting an accurate drawing.  I wanted to make the baby be perfectly in focus and blur Mom somewhat.  Everything else would be underdeveloped.   Then I started on the hand which I loved because it leads you into the painting.  

My own assessment at this point is that the baby looks like my grandnephew, but his mom, my niece, not so good a resemblance.   I do think the feeling of a mother's love comes through.

This is one of my two entries in the March Boldbrush Competition.   You can help boost its rating by clicking on the following link and then hitting the Facebook "Like."

http://faso.com/boldbrush/painting/63035