This seems to be the favorite painting so far of everyone who has seen this series I’m working on. After my Father left us, my Mother returned to work and saved until she could buy her first car. It is the 1956 Chevy with the signature rounded tail fins in the photo I found with my sister Betsy and me standing in front of it.

Based on the photo, I started this painting with the painted background, in the same partly-painted technique I’ve been using in this series. I’ve always liked starting with a mid-tone for the background and then adding my light highlights and dark shadows. Then came the pencil sketch of the figures and car.

I started filling in the color in the figures.

The area of focus on this painting will probably be Betsy’s green snowsuit. Remember those one piece snowsuits we climbed into as kids? Next, I added color to the car. Luckily, I already had a little tester jar of Benjamin Moore paint named Tranquility that almost exactly matched the light blue green of the car.

I continued to add detail to the painting. I’m not happy with the faces yet and will work on those some more this week.

This series is all about memories of childhood, mostly mine, remembering some details and forgetting others. I don’t remember the plaid coat . . . but do remember the white fuzzy Angora hat!

Over the next two weeks I’ll post photos of the additional progress on the paintings in this series as I finish them for my solo show opening May 12th. The pressure is on now!