Major Award Nightlight

5" x 7" Oil on Panel

My family is crazy about the movie A Christmas Story (Jean Shepherd is a genius.) We have watched it too many times; for many years with a big gathering on Christmas Eve. Last year we had a family reunion at Christmas after a few years of being scattered around the country. It was great to be together and one of the fun things we did was have a contest for the best dinner. The cooking teams were made up of mixed members from the three families (cleverly chosen by cooking skills.) The team that won earned the "major award" just like in the movie; at least a homemade version featuring a Barbie leg. Well, my team didn't win, but my sister was kind enough to award my family a "major award" nightlight. Today's painting features that nightlight.

Since these 5" x 7" paintings are small, the compositions are fairly simple and often have the subject centered. After painting, I feel that this image should get a penalty for breaking the One Rule of composition. When I decided to paint the nightlight straight on I was thinking about the nice geometric pattern of the shadow on the wall. The end result was not too interesting and the symmetry makes heavy demands on accurate drawing. I felt that the result was unintentionally cartoonish also. I may decide to paint over those initials. NFS.