A new painting

A friend of a friend was killed a few weeks ago and I was asked to do a memorial portrait. It is a tricky thing to do... I had never met the guy, and I only had some small images to work from. In the process I was drawn to learn more about the lost life... and it is life history on the internet. I learned of his accidental death because of a careless, rushed, driver passing on a double line... his passion for motorcycles, mountains, caves, nature, his surviving wife, his son... his heroic brotherhood in the police force... his youthful determination to serve and protect... his wide, often spell-casting, laughter. It is painful to think of his wife facing her days without him and I tried to convey that she would never be alone. He is behind her.
By the time I finished the portrait, I felt more honored than challenged.

Called Dave and Crystal, this painting is on 8 x 10 inch stretched canvas.