The Joy of a Leaf (Mortinson)

by Godfrey J. Ellis – 12×16 acrylic 2020

Thrilled with the portrait of Mark, the Mortinsons asked if I would paint their autistic grandson who found a huge maple leaf outside. I liked his joy as he proudly showed it off. She offered to pay for it but was aghast when I suggested $100. She was further shocked when I told her it had taken 20 hours to paint. (I don’t know what she thought!) Seeing her panic, I just gave it to her, charging her just $20 for the frame. That was okay – I wasn’t thrilled with it. In trying to get the skin tones darker, I just made him look dirtier!