This commission brought me back to my hometown of St. Helena, and to memories of friends and family, including my brother’s old high school friend in the 1950’s, Craig Battuello, who now raises grapes used to create this extraordinary red for Stag’s Leap. (16″ x 20″ Acrylic)
Her name was Tess and she asked me to do this portrait for her son who lives in New Orleans. She has long since passed but she was a joy. While she posed, we chatted about life and how quaint Old Town Manassas was. She would come to Old Town often and visit many of the shops and chat with the owners.