Blessed Morning

A favorite spot to paint was already occupied, one day, by a fisherman. I set up as I normally would, and we struck up a conversation about what a beautiful place we were in, and what a beautiful morning it was. The subject was gratitude. I asked if I could take his photo, to possibly paint him someday, and he agreed. His saint-like presence was not just coincidence. I soon learned he is a pastor at a church in South Georgia, and he works with recovering addicts. I wanted to capture something of the peace and gratitude from that morning, and to emphasize the gold hat on his head, and the blue in his plaid shirt-his halo and raiment as it were. So, I ended up with two paintings: the landscape I painted that day and this one.