The Letter

At a family gathering, I captured my granddaughter in a somber expression while holding a card. I felt the image could depict so much more to the viewer - what was in the letter she held? Were its contents the cause of her furrowed brow? Maybe it wasn't solemn news, but instead something for her to think about. Yet only she knew for sure. This painting is a departure from the usual style of my portraits which are very detailed including the backgrounds and foregrounds. In this case, I wanted to eliminate what I called the clutter or detail of the foreground objects in order to lead the viewer's attention to her face and expression.