"Harriet". 14 x 18 inch acrylic on canvas panel (still a bit wet in places at time of photo).
Here's the backstory:
I met Harriet in a coffee shop when she was 15 and I was 40. She was soon tagging along with me everywhere I went. Being slow to catch onto things, I didn't notice how Harriet had begun looking up to me until her mother sought me out one day. Her mother explained she needed help keeping Harriet in school.
I was naturally surprised that Liz -- Harriet's mother -- would seek me out to ask for help keeping her daughter in school, and I asked Liz what she thought I could do about it. That's when Liz dropped a bombshell on me. She looked at me like I was clueless and then told me Harriet had adopted me as a father-figure.
Liz and I eventually worked out how to keep Harriet in school. You see, the problem was, Harriet was bored. So we got her into a program for geniuses -- consequently she became un-bored, and successfully graduated.
Liz popped another surprise on me the day she looked me up. She asked me to take Harriet to Valley View Hot Springs the next time I went. Valley View was a clothing optional resort that I frequented back then. She explained that Harriet was dying to go to the place because she had heard from so many people how special it was -- people would describe the near wilderness atmosphere of the resort to her as "spiritual" and "sacred".
I was astonished -- who expects a mother he's never before met to ask him to take her 15 year old daughter to a nudist resort, "sacred" or not? But Harriet had said so many good things about me, that Liz already trusted me by the time we finally met; so the next time I went, I took Harriet along.
Harriet and I some years later lost contact with each other, but I have an old photo of her that I wanted to paint a portrait from. Tonight, as you see, I finished up the portrait. I hope you enjoy it.