A2 (42 x 59.5 cm) acrylic on recycled, heavyweight watercolour paper
by Eldest Sonshine, age 16
 
More often now Maximus is choosing to paint using photos as inspiration and the results are so fantastic! As we started the painting session on this day I asked Max if he'd like to paint mostly reds, mostly, greens, mostly blues, mostly yellows etc... and he chose greens. So we looked through our photos in the inspiration folder and he eventually decided upon a photo I took of a friend's pond with beautiful little lilypads. He didn't know what they were called then and said to me "Yes, this one, leaves, water." 
 
He chose this beautiful teal green for the water - a choice which impressed me right away, as it showed how he was really looking at the image in front of him and not just thinking "it's water so it must be blue" Such a smart chap!
 
He wasn't sure how to do the lilypads so I painted one on a sheet of paper next to him and said "they're like little green hearts". He understood that and proceeded to fill the page with them.
 
The flower he could do all on his own and did a wonderful job building up the tones of pink in delicate little lines.
 
Just the most beautiful process to watch; incredible calm focus and gentle smiles throughout.
 
I'm sure that his contentment and pride show through the end result; as always the real thing is even more magical.