Emily Main

Here’s my sunshine ☀️.   Every morning when he wakes up, I sing "Good Day Sunshine" by the Beatles.  I've changed to words to be about him.  He smiles and laughs, putting his arms around my neck.  He means so much to me.  “Teddy”, my dad’s incredibly late Christmas present. My older son Teddy finally let me finish.  He has been "helping"  and an eager audience while it has been being painted.

He has autism with hyperlexia, precocious reading abilities. Along with words and letters, he loves drawing. He particularly loves it when I paint people but gets bossy. His bossiness earned him the nickname “Pope Julius” - the pope that was always telling Michelangelo what to do on the Sistine chapel. My “Little Pope Julius” was always demanding “more red” and “I want R” (the hyperlexia coming out). He even sneaked the blue from me and wrote “R” on his portrait’s mouth when I was looking the other way. Luckily most of the under layer was dry enough to stay on. Stay calm and carry on.
I took this photo while he was on horseback
20”x16”
Oil on Birch