Study For Waiting for the Sunny to Hit

One of the coolest things about being an artist and having two gorgeous grandchildren is having models any time I want. I don't paint people, as a rule, but once in a while I can't resist trying my hand at it.

This day was special. It was the first time Jack had ever gone fishing at the lake. A pole was fashioned from a stick we found in the woods, and though I can't remember where we got the string, I do remember we loved the color. We found some pancetta - these boys favor Italian cuisine - and tied it to the string which was then carefully lowered into the lake from the dock.

As Jack sat there waiting for a hit, Anders got curious and inched his way over on his bottom to check out the situation. The dog (the original one is not pictured here), included himself because he was a veteran fish hound and always looking for an excuse to jump into the lake. We were all very quiet. Waiting. Watching. It was a moment every parent and grandparent dreams of witnessing. A primal coming together of the boys and beasts of summer.

We didn't catch anything that day, but the boys did eventually get a real fishing pole from Papa John, and using a piece of pancetta again, caught a good-sized sunny. It was traumatic for them to see the fish flapping around and me trying to remember how to get the fish off the hook without hurting it. I think the boys were asking themselves what the purpose of this practice was - their intellect already overriding the primal thing. They're deep thinkers these two.

Study For Waiting For the Sunny to Hit • 8" x 8" watercolor  • NFS