Missing Child Portrait 35

Portrait of a missing girl, named Polly Klaas.

Inspired by the tiny monochrome photo printed on a disposable mailer.

Painted by me in 1993.

I had been painting missing children for two years when her flier came in the mail. I painted her portrait in a single evening, with oil colors and a palette knife.

The unbearable story of Polly can be read here:

[link]

But wait.


Wait. I mean, do you really want to read about sadness? Instead, maybe you could see the colors, like autumn leaves and candy, that dance together to form her cheek.

Maybe you could carefully try to count the individual strokes of paint, or look for the shapes I wove into her smiling face...

Do you see the half-moon I imposed upon her? The moon, watching over her?

Do the details of her story matter? Do they change my portrait, which was created with faith and hope?

With great humility, this painting is dedicated to the family and friends of Polly.

-John Paul