Trail of Hope

16 X 20 Oil on canvas illustration for book cover
Commission SOLD to Texas novelist

Texas author, Dan Vanderburg, liked the first painting I did for him so well, that he came back for more and commissioned me to do this one. The working title is "Finding Rosie", but I suspect that may change.
The storyline is as follows: two white children are captured by Indians. The boy has a heartbreaking decision to make - escape, leaving his sister behind or remaining to face certain death. The tale is about his search for her.
I used my friend Tallen Halliday as the model for this painting (Tallen was quite convincing, both as a boy and as being very cold). The horse is my own PJ turned into a paint. I actually tied a leather strap to her lower jaw and we guided her around by it. She was great!
The buffalo robe I borrowed and eventually purchased (it is SOOOO soft!). I'll have to use it in another painting to justify the expense! We had enough snow in Texas this winter to give me a good feel for it - the large tree in the foreground stands in my back yard.
It was pointed out to me that this scene has to be in the afternoon, because of the shadow direction and the fact that the snow has to be on the north side of the tree's trunk. Details, details!
To purchase Dan's first book, A Legacy of Dreams, online (less than $20) go HERE. You can get it as an EBOOK or paperback. Great summer reading!
Contact me if you have a commission in mind...debbiegraysonlincoln@yahoo.com

Proverbs 16:30
A shifty eye betrays an evil intention; a clenched jaw signals trouble ahead.