These are my kids: #3, #2, #1, and #4. I threw this painting together in a day. I painted the poppies the way I remember them, a blanket of red! I finished this painting and hung it up. I didn’t love it. I love my kids, I love the Camino, I love poppies, but I don’t love it all together. I finally put it back on the easel and asked myself the hard question, why didn’t I like it? I decided the poppies were a problem, there is just too much going on in this painting. Getting rid of all those beautiful flowers felt like cleaning out a too full closet and having to part with GOOD stuff. It was a little sad, but I painted over them anyway. I redrew the hill behind the kids I greyed the entire background down. The painting already feels better to me. Now what??? When I am focused on getting a drawing right, I often forget to be painterly, so the figures look cut out and collaged in. I’ll see if my next painting session can fix that:)

About this series: Our family of 6 walked the Camino de Santiago in 2023, and my husband and I returned with our girls in 2025. I’m painting the journey—one memory at a time—and I hope you’ll follow along as I prepare for an art show in fall 2026.