A photograph was placed in my hands by a detemined mother stating matter-of-factly, this photo must be my next painting. I was prepared to tell her, “no”, in the most gentle way possible, for I stage and take my own photos. Unwavering, she shared the story behind the photo of her two sons

The scene is from St. Simons Island, Georgia with the ocean in the background and wild garlic in the forground. Although beautiful, I was captivated by the intimate relationship (body language) of these two brothers. This photograph was not posed. I learned that Austin, on the right, was comforting his younger brother, Brandon. At the time of this photo, Austin was diagnosed with Leukemia and he was many pounds lighter than his chubby,younger brother.

Austin braved through three and a half years of painful treatments. During those years, he comforted his younger brother, his friends, and even his parents by saying, “I’ll be okay”.

His upifting words weren’t emty, Austin is okay. He was cured.