While exhibiting at Roscoe Village in Coshocton, Ohio, I rose early at the campground where I was staying. The pond nearby, which appears in the background of this drawing, impressed me with the dewdrops hanging delicately from the reeds in peaceful anticipation of a day yet to unfold.
Later that morning Frances Montgomery came by to nurture the irises that were growing on a rock ledge which bordered my display area. She mentioned her appreciation for the irises that appeared in several of the paintings I had on display. Frances and her husband, Edward, were the Coshocton benefactors who had donated extensive funds to transform part of the town, Roscoe Village, that had become a decrepit slum. Through their philanthropy, the village was transformed to a time when it had flourished during the prosperous canal era of the 1830s.
Later that day, a family walked by. We exchanged greetings, and they invited me to see the daughter’s display on the other side of Whitewoman's Street. I took a break from my work to consider hers. She did enlarged views of teacups and utensils in graphite. I had met a fellow realist!
She was much too pretty not to be the subject of a piece of fine art, so the next time they came by, I broke through my hesitation and asked, “Will you consider being the subject of one of my portraits?” Her response was, “I will ponder your request and will let you know later.” Limbo is not a very comfortable place to be, but finally I received the family's cooperation as well as hers.
We proceeded with preparations for the portrait at their home at the first available opportunity. We tried many poses and props, and I was able to capture the sunset on Heidi’s face, but when her cat joined us, things became even more interesting. The cat was quite good at capturing fireflies with her paw. As you can see, the cat was reluctant to be part of the composition, but she fit nicely. The hind paws assumed a “V” shape as did some of the reeds and even the shoulder straps on the dress. The green eyes of both Heidi and the cat, set against the golden green waters and vegetation, were perfectly in sync. The rust colors in Heidi’s hair paralleled similar tones in the calico cat. The cat's ears have an affinity with the shapes of the leaves. These are some examples of the interrelatedness a careful observer may notice throughout this 32” x 40” pastel drawing.
I began this ambitiously large and complex pastel at the Richland Mall in Mansfield, Ohio. While putting in a long day of drawing, I stepped back from the easel to get a fresh view and decide how the drawing needed to be refined. Just then a woman stepped between me and my work to get a closer view. She reached out with her index finger and smeared out the shoulder before her finger headed for the hands and the cat. I hadn’t expected an adult to be this disrespectful. I grabbed her wrist and removed it from my artwork in progress. She went off insulted and returned later to insist that she was just trying to see if there was a photo underneath. Anyone with any degree of vision could see the blank board I was working on was just that.
This portrait occupied a two-page spread in the I Remember Roscoe book written by Bob Hull. I signed Heidi’s portrait with Lamentations 3:22-23, “Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning great is your faithfulness.”
