I've been reflecting during the 2020 Thanksgiving season on the hardships the Pilgrims faced in the New World their first winter. We're facing Covid-19; they faced death of nearly all the wives of their company, and many of the men and children. With grit and faith they didn't return to England in the Mayflower in the Spring of 1621, but stayed in the new land and built a colony. God blessed them with Squanto, an Indian who knew English, to guide them. In the fall they celebrated a Thanksgiving feast with a lot of Indian braves. In looking for models for this painting I found the striking design of master illustrator Herbert Andrew Paus (1880-1946), who drew these figures for the 25 November 1906 cover of the Sunday Magazine of the New-York Tribune. I outlined the figures with pen and ink, then painted them and put them in an autumn forest setting, giving thanks to God. 201202. Watercolor and ink, 10" x 10". |
