When planning for a portrait of Kathryn Harris in her portrayal of Harriet Tubman, I decided that we needed a wooded setting.  Given Harriet's work with the Underground Railroad and leading others to freedom through rugged conditions, the woods seemed an ideal setting.  Unfortunately, the spring and summer had been pretty wet and taking Kathryn to the river wasn't the best option.  But we were able to leisurely wander through the upland woods for inspiration and reference photos.

 

From the photos taken that day and previous photos of a stream and river, I developed 8 or 9 different compositional sketches that were presented to Kathryn.  With her preference selected, the portrait began to take shape over the next few months.

 

With the opening of the Inaugural Artist Show and Open House at the Springfield and Central Illinois African American History Museum on December 7, 2020, "Kathryn:Harriet - Women of Fortitude" was revealed, completing its journey from a walk in the woods to the Museum.