It started years ago while on vacation on the Big Island of Hawai'i with my sisters and their children and children's children - confused? Anyhow, I took a picture of my nieces and nephews as they posed with a sea urchin that they retrieved from the ocean. I developed the film and as I viewed the results that one picture said to me "these are children of the rainbow." The photo showed me children from diverse ethnicity groups who were all of one family in the earthly sense - but also one family in the spiritual sense - the Family of God. That was when I decided that someday I would paint a picture of the "children of the rainbow."
The painting reflects the event - and it truly is an event - getting 18 children together to take a group picture. We have those who are so excited about being a part of it, those who would rather be somewhere else, those who dressed up for the affair and those who didn't. Of course we have to have the cut-ups. Four generations are present in the painting. The little blonde toddler with the boy's arms around her - that boy is her father. Then the boy (blue shirt and tie) and the boy with arms around the toddler are brothers. I am their mother in the pink dress with white flowers just above them. I could explain each one, but that would take forever, just know they are all family.
This is where I started - the sketch.
Then the underpainting.
And here is the finished painting, almost seven months since starting...
Many changes made along the way - correcting and changing. I am so glad it's done; however, I did see a few places that needed work.
Mahalo ke Akua!! (Thank you God.)
