A Little Girl in Watercolor
Updated: Dec 19, 2022
I was in a local Postal Annex store and this unique calendar caught my eye.
It was love at first site!!
This is Me.
The cowgirl hat with the lone star of Texas.
Yup! I'm a Texan.
The cowgirl boots.
The pigtail braids.
The freckles.
Me. Yup. All me.
The artist didn't know he was painting me a the time.
Now he knows.
Its not just because of his depiction of the little girl that's about to get in trouble, but also that he depicts her of....well....about to get in trouble! Me. Yup. All me. Just ask my older sister.
Big Sis was the responsible one. I think there is a natural acceptance of responsibility that comes with being the oldest. Growing up she was a bit bossy at times, but mostly she was always right. I was the one that would climb to the very highest part of the tree. She was the one that would warn me, afraid I would fall and get hurt.
I was the one that would get the "switch" from that very same tree when I misbehaved - Which was frequent - She was polite and well behaved most of the time. I was the one that got the ruler across my behind, or the time-out on the big blue stool in the kitchen. She was the one that carefully washed the dishes. I was the one that broke them.
Big Sis reminded me that she remembers having to sit on the blue stool for what seemed like hours until she apologized to our Granny. Now that she reminded me I do recall the event in that I kept coming in and begging her to apologize so we could go out and play.
Then there's the time she broke our Aunt Opal's mirror, and instead of telling her what happened, she hid it under the couch in the living room. Our Aunt discovered it when she moved the couch to vacuum behind it.
One thing that was the same for both of us was that we never doubted that we were dearly loved by which-ever family member happened to be watching over us at the time.
So when I found this painting by David Brownstead I bought one for myself and Big Sis. As soon as she saw it, she knew who it was a painting of too :-)
You can see my braids but not my freckles so much, but they are there. In fact they are still there - oh well they never slowed me down much. I got teased a lot by the boys, but I would just - well - beat them up! No really! I did!
I still remember when I got hauled into the Principles office in 3rd grade (I think) or maybe it was 4th. We had just moved to California from Texas and three boys in my class were teasing me for my freckles and Texas accent. They thought I talked "funny".
I didn't mind so much being teased for my freckles, but my Texas accent....well that there is a different set of rules! So I did what any good Texas girl would do....I beat them up! A teacher came over and pulled me off of them kickin' and screaming! I got hauled into the Principle's office and she called my Dad.... A 6'2" Texan recently released from Prison. I knew I wasn't in much trouble when I noticed he and the Principle trying not to laugh in front of me. I really thought I was gonna get a whoopin' that day! On the way home he scolded me just a little, then reinforced that it's okay to stand up for myself, but best if I could do it without using my fists.
And those trees in the background? You can bet that I found a good climbing tree on that camping trip!
You can order David Brownstead's art from his website.
David Brownstead is a local artist in San Diego that paints in oil on canvas and watercolor on ragboard. The one above is watercolor on ragboard.
Mr. Brownstead is collected nationally and has been awarded commissions for national and international sporting events, jazz festivals, and other significant events and occasions. David’s work is held in many private and corporate collections, and his credits include:
~U.S. Alpine Championship Ski Posters, two consecutive years ~Winter Park Jazz Festival, two consecutive years ~The American Ski Classic/Gerald Ford Cup Race ~ Limited Edition Print for The Betty Ford Alpine Garden, Vail, CO ~The Tenth Pan American Games Commemorative Image, Indianapolis, IN ~ Greenpeace Promotional Images ~ Polio Plus/Rotary International ~Special Commission ~ Del Coronado Hotel, Coronado, CA ~ Special Commission ~ Bernardo Winery, Rancho Bernardo, CA ~ Special Commission ~ Four Seasons Resort, Carlsbad, CA ~Numerous Other Business, Corporate and Humanitarian Commissions
The artist owns the Mark Daniel Fine Art Publishing Company, named for his sons, Mark and Daniel, which publishes and distributes his line of fine art prints and note cards. He paints in his home studio in San Diego, CA.