Dennis

This is a portrait I did of my cousin Dennis Bootsma. Though it may not be the best of mine, in skill, it's very close to my heart as Dennis has died tragically in a car accident this summer. I was trying to remember the bible verse I put on the side of the canvas, but can't seem to recall it. I gave it as a gift to his family after his funeral. I was a little concerned that his face being in shadow would be too sad, but I like to think of him as feeling warmth on his right cheek from the light.
I wish I had gotten to know him better. He was only sixteen when he fell asleep at the wheel doing some deliveries for his family's bakery. At the funeral, I loved hearing about his life from those who knew him better. I'm so glad I decided to paint him with his mohawk instead of trying to paint him as something completely different.
I'm also glad I decided to paint him in general, because sometimes I'm afraid of forgetting someone's face when they die, but this gave me the opportunity to really study it and hopefully retain it.
He was really into things like quads, dirk bikes....you know.....that kind of crazy thing.
It's silly, but the main memory I have of him is hugging him...even when it was pretty clear he didn't want one. Heh.
Anyway, here's to Dennis.