Ryan’s Dockside View

Description

Grandfather

I met him; the man Ryan was so proud to introduce to me: his grandfather. A man he has come to love and respect as I do my father. I was excited to meet him, to hear his story and to my surprise a veteran walks in. I am happy to tell you that I thanked him for his service.  Ryan and his grandfather would go out onto the lake in a pontoon boat, so naturally the dockside view with the boat was the perfect image to paint. The image was of an inland northwest lake, I’m not sure of the name but since I grew up in the inland northwest I was familiar with the scenery.

Visualization of Ryan’s Dockside View

As I pondered the piece I was struck with the realization this was going to be easier than normal. These are my waters. I grew up on Coeur D’Alene lake located in Coeur D’ Alene, Idaho. I have floated the Spokane river more times than I can count. Drawing from that experience of growing up around these reflections and these slimy rocks. So when Ryan handed me the image, I knew right away how I was going to render it into a painting.

Wow

I presented Ryan with his painting. His first reaction was “Wow” as his eyes drank in all the details with joy. The last thing I saw was Ryan clutching his painting in his arms next to his chest as he hurried out the door. He was home free with his loot and probably going to rush to get it to his grandfather. That’s was what create art for; Ryan now has a way to connect to his grandfather even more. I think, by his reaction, I had created another memory for them to share. My artwork being seen and enjoyed is my dream to elicit a positive reaction to my artwork. Seeing people happy is one of my main drives in creating my art.