I paint portraits of missing children as a way to honor them and their families. My paintings are being posted here on deviantArt. Many of you ask if these children I paint are real, and if the children are still missing. The answer is that yes, ALL of the children are real, and most of them remain missing...

But this morning, it was reported all over the American media that a 30
year old woman walked into a California Police Station claiming to be "Jaycee Lee Dugard" who was kidnapped as an eleven year old child in 1991.

The remarkable story can be read here:[link]

I painted a large, color-drenched abstract-expressionist portrait of Jaycee, based on her one-inch square black and white photo, back in 1991. Her portrait has been exhibited many times since her disappearance as a way to remind people about her, including at the White House and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, as well as many public gallery and museum displays around the country.

Her portrait was just featured in an exhibition at LA ArtShare Gallery in Los Angeles this June. (Jaycee is honored in the largest canvas on the wall in the center left in this photo):



Although my painting had nothing to do with her reappearance, I like to think that it served as a candle in the darkness for thousands of viewers over the last eighteen years, promising her eventual reunion with her family. Details will be emerging that will be filled with emotion. What an incredible story!