The Composer
Robert Tracy
Acrylics on canvas
10 x 15"
1983

These are children in our daughter's Montessori School.
The little girl in a red jacket, third from the left, is a portrait of our daughter, Heather, now age 35.

The original buyer of this painting is now in a nursing home, nearing 90. His daughter owns the painting and is so good as to bring it by for me to photograph properly.

This is one of my wife's favorites of my paintings. As the owner of the painting will not sell it back to me, I'm going to submit it as a print and buy it for my wife on canvas.

For information on Montessori I provide the following from Wikipedia:

The Montessori method is an educational method for children, based on theories of child development originated by Italian educator Maria Montessori in the late 19th and early 20th century. It is applied primarily in preschool and elementary school settings, though some Montessori high schools exist.

The method is characterized by an emphasis on self-directed activity on the part of the child and clinical observation on the part of the teacher (often called a "director", "directress", or "guide"). It stresses the importance of adapting the child's learning environment to his or her developmental level, and of the role of physical activity in absorbing academic concepts and practical skills.