In
this portrait painting from an old photo Mary tone the canvas with a warm
orange color and decided to use earthly colors and impressionist colors to
bring the painting life allowing the toned canvas to accent the painting.
She also removed some things in the photo that didn’t add to
telling the story such as in the rest of the schoolhouse, extra folds in the
clothes.
The story is about the children their clothing, their pose, the one
boy in the center says that the older boys were most likely working planting
ranching and couldn’t come to school at this time, and the small one room
school they attended.