Remembering special moments

Grandfather's precious Moment 18x24 Oil

A friend of a friend referred Sarah to me. Sarah lives in Manhatten and was looking to commemorate a special moment between her father in law and her new baby. The grandfather met his new grandson at the family's vacation home in VT. Sarah had a photo of the two and wanted a painting setting it in their back yard at their VT home. Shortly after the photo was taken, the grandfather passed away. Sarah wanted to preserve the moment for her husband and son. She asked if I could combine some photos to set them in the yard with the family Burmese mountain dog. I looked forward to the challenge.  I did some preliminary sketches for her approval and she was excited with the ideas I showed her. 

The most difficult part was establishing a perspective that looked like the figures belonged in the setting; establishing the perspective and the light source. I removed boxes from the photos that were in the yard from unpacking adirondack chairs and included 2 chairs in the setting to give a sense of the scene she had described to me. Spending 24 years visiting my daughter and son when they lived in VT gave me a solid sense of what it felt like to sit surrounded by mountains and expansive views. I positioned the red leash to make a connection between the family and the landscape. The adirondack chairs provided a nice sunlit focal point to lead the viewer back into the landscape after pausing to take in the figures. The green expanse is warmed up to emphasize the feeling of the midday sun.
Update:
Just received this message from NYC-where this painting now resides, 
"Hi Ellen,
I gave the painting to my husband a bit early, and it brought him to tears. It is a very special piece that will hang in our home for a lifetime. Thank you for perfectly bringing the vision to life. It means so much to us.
Happy Holidays-"
I wondered if it would make it til Christmas.🥰