Simon Greets the Day
Watercolor
16" x 20"

Original in collection of the artist.
Giclees available.

This painting is part of my series of watercolor portraits of old people. This portrait was done from a photo taken while traveling in the Caribbean. I tried to capture the sunlight warming his skin as he pushed the curtain back to look outside early in the morning.
I named this old fellow 'Simon' after the Simon that was pressed into service to help Jesus carry the cross. Simon was reluctant initially, but obediently helped carry Our Lord's burden for a while. I believe we are all like Simon - called to carry burdens - whatever they might be - in service of others. Even though the weight of those burdens are heavy and age us, we can choose to greet the day with a smile and a twinkle in our eye.

The French Beekeeper
Gouache on Watercolor paper
11" x 14"

Original in private collection.
Giclees available.

This is a portrait of my great grandfather, Camille Pierre (C.P.) Dadant. He migrated with his mother and sisters at the age of 11 to the United States during the Civil War. His father, Charles, had come over a few months prior to C.P.'s arrival to build a little log cabin for his family to live in. Originally, they grew grapes, but found soon that beekeeping was more profitable in the area where they had settled along the banks of the Mississippi river.
C.P. and his father built a business specializing in beekeeping and beekeeping supplies that still exists today - five or six generations later.
This painting derives from a photo taken around 1910 as C.P. walked to work at the factory at the bottom of the hill. In the background is the Keokuk Lock and Dam. C.P. was one of the business men that was instrumental in moving to get the dam built across the Mississippi at this point.