She insisted, “Grandpa, let’s take pictures!”

I’m an artist. I rely on photographic resources to resolve some of the imagery, and I’ve learned that the best modeling for art happens when the person at the other side of the lens wants the pictures taken. Their ease and enthusiasm goes a long way in the right direction. Age doesn’t much matter. She began pestering me to do a photo shoot when she was two, and she wasn’t kidding.

This isn’t a self absorbed diva either. She’s a sweet, smart girl who wants to do what the big kids do. Her sister has been in twenty plus art works in the past few years, many with the help of targeted photography sessions. Fabulous model! Experience has helped, but she’s been good at the craft since the start.

So that’s one of the things that the big kids do, and Cecilia is happy to show that she also has the right stuff to do it too.

She decided it would be interesting to use kitchen items as props

There still are limits. At three, we did the first shoot. Three year olds can take simple direction. Now, barely four, she’s still interested and though she is still somewhat limited in the instructions she can follow, she’s willing and happily does her part. So she set up this shoot by pouncing on the opportunity while I was visiting the family. I told her I’d do it, but she’d have to have her hair down and be in the clothes she wants to be wearing in the painting.

She ran off to find a skirt and the nicest shoes. I set up the camera in the only part of the house that we could expect to find enough light and still have room. The lens is 60mm and I need to be at least six feet back to fit her little self in the frame.

Cecilia doesn’t understand the limits of the camera but tries to play along. Her preference would be for me to capture her swishing the full skirt back and forth as she spins and does all the fun movements that the skirt begs for.

Instead of that, we had to take sedate photos. She adapted. But first she had to interrupt the work and dash to her room to get a hair ornament and a sweater.

Those were excellent choices as it turns out.

Standing in one of the few place where we could get enough illumination

It isn’t just for the fun of the experience that she’s doing the photo session, though it’s clear that she enjoys the attention. She wants to be in a painting and she wants it to look a certain way patterned after one I’d done before.

The painting hasn’t been started yet because I’m still not sure of the composition despite having put many hours into it, contemplating and designing and imagining what would make a memorable picture. I know what she says she wants because she’s done a good job of describing it. We’ve done three shoots to that end, and still no painting. The little task master brought the painting up again a few days ago. It’s almost as if she’s a client who is anxious to see results. If you’re trying to imagine this from a four year old, don’t make the mistake of seeing her as bossy, demanding, or unpleasant. Not at all. She’s very sweet about checking on the progress. She has all the makings of an artists model as good as her big sister. I can hardly wait to see her twenty plus collection of paintings!

She started out on the right foot with this process and continues to get better at it.

The violin paintings have begun to take shape now also. I didn’t like the way the feet, shoes, and little dog were working out on the Yard Violinist painting so I went back and Leah got me some shots with a pair of shoes that well exceeded the design I’d made up. She posed Lucy also so that I could repaint her. Lucy is a maltese.

Lucy

The Violinists feet (Leah)

Meanwhile, I’m building the web site that has taken forever because of my sloth.

It’s slow progress, but it’s sure.