Liam, 9″ x 12″, graphite on handmade Amatruda paper
This drawing is of my son Liam, when he was four months old and still in Margaret’s womb. When we were living in Italy, we found out that Margaret was pregnant. It was a complete surprise. When we went in for a sonogram, there was that usual static, black and white, two dimensional image. Suddenly, the doctor flipped a switch on the sonogram, and on a computer screen I could suddenly see my little baby in three dimensions, moving, even smiling. It was one of the most surreal moments of my life. It’s no use recounting the emotions I experienced, because I would just bore you with superlatives. I quickly asked the doctor if he could print the images I was seeing. Five minutes later, I had an image of my baby. Five hours later, I finished a drawing from that print. Here’s Liam, with his characteristically huge hands and particular half smile (still the same two years later.)
