Painting Description

I was fortunate to have received several Mennonite quilting photos from a former employee who lived in the country. Using those shots along with a few that I had and the posed models of the girl and her great aunt on the extreme right of the painting, I created this interior scene. As a man it is very difficult to get permission to photograph inside a Mennonite home.

Over the years I have yearned to do more Mennonite home interiors but the opportunities have been few. Culturally, there is a barrier and now the current Bishop of the Old Order Mennonite Church has reinstated a ban on picture-taking. Because Mennonites of the Orthodox groups treasure the group above themselves, a number of women that I know that have been more liberal on the idea of photographs have declined my requests to snap a few shots in their homes. Once again the wheel turns.

To see the other paintings in Winterberries and Apple Blossoms, click on the month: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December.