The week my granddaughter was born, I began to draw and paint portraits of her. These records of her growth and transformation over time are placed in a portrait album for her. The first page is a hand-drawn, hand-painted birth certificate. The pages that follow contain pencil drawings done during her first weeks in the world.

A drawn or painted portrait allows me to observe closely and carefully...the shape of an eye, the turn of the mouth, the arch of an eyebrow. When I spend time with each portrait, I spend time with my thoughts of her. I reflect with gratitude on her presence in the world. As each mark touches the page, it is a touch of love and care. I work to not only have the portrait be an accurate portrayal of the way she looks, but I also aspire to convey something of her personality and her inner spirit. I hope that each mark and stroke conveys my love. I work to make each portrait have a presence that represents that unique moment in time. Childhood is fleeting, and a child changes in the blink of an eye.

I drew and painted my own children throughout their childhood. Looking back at those pieces of art transports me right to those cherished moments. I have always felt honored to be a mother, and my art has been a natural expression of that gift to my life.

This watercolor is an example of the start of one of my recent portraits that became a gift for my granddaughter.
I cherish the items that my forebears made by hand that were given to me—embroidery, knitted and crocheted items, decorative tole painting, drawings and paintings. Perhaps the work from my own hand will also have future meaning and charm.