I was fascinated with British and American Grand Manner Portraiture of the 1700s at the time I did this painting. This was portraiture done at full-length and in life-size that included settings that conveyed the dignified status of the person.
Here you see my mother-in-law who is standing on a pile of stone posts looking out at a nearby field. In this field, my husband is under the combine repairing a mechanical problem and my father-in-law is waiting anxiously. This is a 3’ x 4’ canvas and she is life-size.
My mother-in-law had dinner ready and they were late. This is why it is titled “Late for Dinner.”
I was in the field with the men when they had a breakdown earlier in the day and I shot photos. I was in the farmyard and watched my mother-in-law climb up on these rocks. When they finally showed up for dinner, she found out they had another breakdown.