Caravan

Among my fondest childhood memories are those times spent visiting my Grandma Tannie in our little town, Heber Springs, Arkansas. A small, genteel woman, grandma taught me all about planting flowers, shelling pecans, and swimming. It was she who helped me learn how to swim underwater at Greers Ferry Lake. Visiting her little house on Searcy Street was always fun. A modest abode, it was filled with special things that never seemed to alter. To this day I still have a mental picture of every room in the house and all its contents...or at least, I think so!

Grandma had two kitchens as at one time the house was a duplex. She never used the large kitchen really. The small one had a little cream colored drop-leaf table with two pressed back chairs. Next to the table was a little notched shelf in the wall filled with trinkets. But of particular fascination to me was the shelf that held the little elephant family tea set. I used to stare at that set imagining the exotic place from which it must have come.

Many years ago my grandma had to leave her family home and I was honored to receive the little tea set as an inheritance. Wherever we move, I proudly display my elephant family tea set and think of her when I look at it.

I knew someday I'd like to include at least a part of the set in a painting and thought a whimsical setting seemed appropriate. Thus the elephants are loaded down with "goods" on a journey to market...a caravan.

The painting is acrylics on a 12 x 16" Canson Montval acrylic paper mounted to board and was painted from life with the set up at eye level more or less. I chose to keep the background and draping fairly neutral for an overall rich look.