The Painting

I have watched Pride and Prejudice (a lot), and there is a scene where Elizabeth admires the paintings of Mr. Darcy and his sister. I have had the opportunity to view similar types of paintings of individuals and families at various art museums. I enjoy looking at them and getting a glimpse of what life might have been like those many years ago.

But having oil painting done of one’s family was something that only rich families did hundreds of years ago, right? Well, not if you are friends with an amazing artist like Cheryl Schoenberger! I met Cheryl through Civil War Reenacting and discovered that she had painted portraits of two other Atascadero Civil War Reenacting families. My husband and I decided that a painting of our family would be a perfect 25th Wedding Anniversary gift to ourselves and asked Cheryl if she would paint us. She presented us with our large 3’X3’ painting at the Moorpark Civil War Reenactment last month, and we were thrilled!

The painting is a memento of many things that my husband and I have tried to impart to our children: Family history (I’m wearing my grandmother’s brooch), homeschooling (we’ve learned a lot about the Civil War), hand crafting (The girls and I each made our dresses), travel, friends, memory making and so much more. It is amazing to think that I will be able to enjoy this painting all of my life, and then it will last and last through many generations. I wonder what my great-grandchildren will think of the painting!