Painting 36

Nun of Your Business. That's what I named the painting, and it actually helped sell it which is a good little marketing lesson. These nuns were a sight to behold. I was in Merida, Mexico searching for photo opportunities and these nuns appeared on the street. My traveling companion, Bob, and I were drawn to them and couldn't help but follow, trying to get a good photo. Not sure if the were late, or just trying to loose us, but these little women were fast! We were running to catch up with them, and it was well worth the effort. I never saw any faces, but the traditional attire next to the rustic Mexican architecture was too great not to capture on canvas. Bob ended up with the photo I used as my reference. He's much better at the camera than I am, so even though I had my own photos of the nuns, his was the one I needed to paint. I enjoyed painting the white of the outfits and the rustic areas on the wall and door, attempting to capture the wonderful textures and the flow of the fabric. I'm very pleased with the painting, I would love to see it in a rustic ornate frame, but I donated the painting to The Children's Advocacy Center of Dallas for their annual fundraiser. I'm not sure what it sold for, but I was informed that a well-known society columnist purchased it, and my studio mates were so thrilled for me. I'd never heard of the guy, but I wrote to thank him for taking an interest and he let me know that while he doesn't normally collect traditional type paintings, he and his wife were drawn to the subject matter for personal reasons and his wife decided they needed it when she read the title and laughed out loud. I hated giving away the painting because you never know if these charities are just going to slash the prices just to get rid of it, treating the art like it's a tag sale item in the suburbs. However, when I heard from the buyer and his story, I was pleased that I had touched them with my work, and it was for a good cause. Since he said his house is full of contemporary art, I seriously doubt my painting is hung in their home, but I hope they at least gave it a proper home somewhere. BTW, this is my sister's favorite painting! The only one she's wanted of mine. I guess the one I painted for her (painting 22) isn't that swell, but that's all she's getting from me now, thank you very much! I'm going to start charging her like I did my mother. No more freebies for you! Artist are so sensitive!!!