Saturday, August 12, 2023

Saturday, August 12, 2023

Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2009. We were at the Lego Store in our local mall. That evening, Mattie's child life specialist arranged for a once in a lifetime chance to go into the store after hours and work with two master Lego builders. These guys told Mattie that he could design something of his choosing. They offered Mattie any kit in the store, but nothing interested him. In all honestly that year, we practically had every kit available, as we used to buy them to keep all of us busy in the hospital. So instead of a kit, Mattie requested to design a NYC taxi. This taxi is still on display in my office and I will never forget that moment in time. 

Quote of the day: You are today where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you. ~ James Allen

The highlight of my day was receiving watercolor sketches from Kim T. Richards. She is the wonderful artist we have commissioned to paint four oil paintings of our property. The goal is to display these original pieces of art in our family room. This room has a huge wall and for almost two years now, it had been dormant. None of us could agree on what should be hung on this wall. Thankfully I met Kim, and after viewing her works, this notion just came to me... capture the beauty of the property. See this lovely orange Adirondack chair? When we bought the house, this chair was green and stuck in the distance between the trees. I asked Peter to paint it a Mattie Miracle orange and now this chair sits front and center in our garden. 

The beauty of Peter's rose garden and plantings. 

Our front door! There are three large watering cans sitting on our front stoop. They are orange, red, and yellow. Mattie Miracle colors! They resonated with Kim. 

Another view of our backyard. 

There will be more details with oil paint, but I have to say the watercolors are stunning. 

Another angle of the property. Kim gave us 11 sketches, all from different angles. We will have to determine what resonates with us, because the final design for our wall will be four paintings. Nonetheless, I am appreciating and enjoying the creative process of how a scene gets captured and eventually turned into an oil on canvas piece.