The birth of a child is truly a gift from the Lord, especially for first time parents like my friends Josh and Taylor. Taylor wanted to capture this intimate moment between father and son, and I was happy to make it happen. I love how it looks like their son is so comfortable on his dad’s chest that it takes a mighty effort to keep his little eyes open. In fact, one of his eyes is squished closed, showing the fullness of his newborn cheeks. Because of the close range of the painting, I had more room to explore newborn features, from his puffy lips and eyes to all the colors in the shadows of his skin.