Great Uncle Mitchell Painting

This painting is of my Great-uncle Mitchell my grandfather's brother. A man who lived and died in Mississippi. Born in 1900, he died in 1968, he was a farmer all his life. My reference for the painting is from a photo (one of three in a cameo mat) that Mother kept. The first time I saw it was 1976 when I was seventeen. I always admired it and didn't see it again until after my mother passed in April of 2017. It had worn some over the years so I had to reconstruct some things such as his blazer, the chair, and chaise lounge. The birds were added as protectors to watch over him. They are birds indigenous to the American south. After learning Great-uncle Mitchell was a farmer, I thought it made the painting even more interesting. The fact that he is dressed here nothing like a farmer is very intriguing. Although he never left Mississippi, his image will be seen by people from all over the world.