Artwork / Archives / Subjective / Daughter
![an intense little girl painted by a stranger and by her mother](/images/2009/2009SuHazel.jpg)
Daughter
2009 and 2010
acrylic on canvas and wood
36 x 60 inches (combined dimensions)
The subject of these portraits is a very intense child and both her mother and I represented her as such. This shocked a number of viewers since young children are more commonly portrayed as playful and light. I remember a full range of emotions that I experienced in childhood, and I think it’s unfortunate when portraitists drain all complexity out of this formative time in our lives in favor of a bland idealized version of what it means to be a kid.
![painterly portrait](/images/2009/2009SuHazelGSD.jpg)
![painterly portrait by Becca Bernstein](/images/2009/2009SuHazelBBD.jpg)