Despite the rather gloomy outlook for the future presented these days in the media, I believe there is always a life of adventure and fulfillment possible for a young person who knows where they came from and where they are going. Jordan was my model for this painting and was ready to launch out on his own, with a strong foundation behind and a limitless horizon before him.

Israel is growing up on a farm where chores start early and the summers are filled with playing in the creek, in the barn, or with his brothers climbing on anything off the ground. On this day, he took me to his favorite place to play, a corner of the barn loft where he could climb up through the open doorway