Another Surprise

For the book project I have tried to leave the gender of the baby indeterminate. I wanted people to be able to see it the way they wanted to see it.

But when I drew the baby older in this last painting, as I must for the book, it was definitely a boy. It was a beautiful boy, with a full head of wild hair, but I had no doubt it was a boy.

Now that I've painted the child, however, that's no longer clear at all. It could still be a beautiful fair boy, but it could just as easily be a girl.

I'm pleased with this. I haven't struggled with it, or pushed hard to make it happen. I had actually reconciled myself to the fact that I couldn't keep up the game through this last painting. But the wish seems to have influenced the entire project, and, looking back at the baby paintings, I think the reader will still be able to imagine what they like.

(Above is my watercolor Cats and Dog. This painting is also in suspense. I wondered the whole time I painted it how the cat and dog would react as their noses nearly touched. Nothing? An explosion? I doubt the dog will react much, unless the cat does. It's all up to the cat...)