A Promise Fulfilled

My beautiful friend, Katrin, commissioned me to draw portraits of her two daughters a few years ago. Her daughters were teenagers at the time but she wanted portraits done from their baby books. She handed me two beautiful leather-bound photo albums with tissue paper between each page, each book lovingly telling the story of her family. I was honored to be trusted with her precious books and I was even a bit nervous for fear they would get damaged somehow. After hours, days, weeks of pouring over the photos I fell in love with Katrin, Nina and Maike, and these were the two portraits I drew for Katrin.

         
In the fall of 2010 Katrin asked me to draw a portrait of her Father. Unfortunately she fell ill with breast cancer and all winter while she had treatments of chemo, I was taking care of Sage and Malach. The kids and I were constantly sick with colds that season and I wasn't able to see Katrin at all. Much to my sorrow she died in the early spring last year. In honor of Katrin I wanted to do the portrait of her father for her family.

Finally this summer I have been able to pick up my pencil again and fulfill my promise. There was a point while drawing her father that Katrin's face was staring up at me, for awhile she was all I could see... I had to tell her to go away so I could concentrate on her dad. He died the year before Katrin, perhaps they are together now.