Girl in the Blue Hat with a Tiny Smile

On the wall across from my desk hangs a painting of a young woman with long auburn hair. She's wearing a blue hat with yellow flowers lining the band. Her heart-shaped face has rosy cheeks and dark red lips wearing a tiny smile. Her eyes are closed. Where is she? What is she doing? She looks like she's daydreaming of something pleasant, or smelling a sweet fragrance, or picturing a loved one's face. She might be reliving a favorite memory, or praying, or getting ready to accept a surprise from a friend. Whatever she is doing, she has an air of grace and beauty about her.

I bought this painting last summer at an arts festival. My husband and I had a lengthy conversation with the artist, Elaine Rose Lanoue. Elaine is a Christian who, alongside her husband, lives our her faith on the arts festival circuit. She wants people to see the love of Christ in her life and to offer hope to those around her, whether they are customers or fellow artists.

When I saw this painting, I thought of wishes and whimsy, joy and delight, my daughter and my girlfriends, weather that turns cheeks pink, and my love of hats in my 20s. Now when I see it, I sometimes think of Elaine Lanoue, of how she captured in that young woman's face an expression that stirs my imagination every time I look at it.