The most dominant colors used throughout the piece are red, blue, and yellow.
Red represents love, especially the father and mother love; blue represents
depth and stability. Yellow mixed into each of the 6 colors, represents light,
hope, freshness, and clarity, positivity, intellect, honor, and loyalty;
yellow is also symbolic of the children's energy and joy.
In the center of the piece is a cross, a form on which Christ died, and is a symbol of Christian belief. It represents faith, truth, hope, goodness, and everlasting life. Each
brush stroke and finger-stroke is carried over from the background onto the cross in a layered, stitch-like pattern, that represent moments or chapters in time-- to honor life
events and milestones that the family will continue to embark on and keep their
faith as it is instilled in them; every single stroke converges on the cross-- this being
the most emphatic part of the piece-- everything is drawn towards the center as a
symbol of the family's foundation in God.
The hearts throughout the piece symbolize God's love, humanity, and charity.
They should also be considered here, as a symbol of the family's understanding,
love, courage, devotion, sorrow, and joy.
Our Father II
Oil on Linen
30” x 40”
Based on a previous piece I did 20 years ago, Our Father I. This new rendition is titled, Our Father II. This was heartfelt fun and a challenge to retrace steps, while also getting to be spontaneous and make it its own piece. The palette is made up of 6 colors and a touch of white. The 6 bold colors are representative of Joseph DeLong, a brave and intelligent man, with a sense of adventure and exuberance; his wife, Claire DeLong, a warm, friendly, sharp-minded, fun woman who is supportive, with a light and calm effect; and their 4 children-- their beautiful and bright, love-filled pops of energy. The touch of white mixed into the palette is representative of goodness, spirituality, and heaven, and is indicative of guardian angels and those who aren't physically near to them, whether in heaven or in a far location, that includes their beloved dogs, also true members of their family.