Children in oil
12 original paintings by Sandy Wolter, on canvas from 12 × 16 in to 20 × 30 in. 2 of them are for sale. Many are close-ups in which a child's eyes fill much of the canvas; others show a girl swimming under water, five young ballerinas in a row, and a little girl holding a monarch butterfly.
Ask about any painting by its title, or see portrait commissions to have one painted from your own photo.
The paintings
The Quiet Gaze
A thoughtful portrait captures the beauty of a quiet, unguarded expression.
A girl looks straight out of the canvas with wide green eyes ringed in a darker green. Her olive-gold hair falls past her shoulders in long strokes, and her cheeks carry a soft pink flush. Her lips are a clean coral red, the brightest colour in the painting, set against a flat grey-violet background.
Between Two Worlds
Gentle contrasts reveal a figure poised between reflection and possibility.
Large cobalt-blue eyes sit under heavy brows, and the girl's dark hair hangs in loose ribbons around her face. Warm umber shading along the cheeks and jaw gives the face an almost sculpted look. The background is a single sky blue, close in hue to the eyes, with nothing else in the frame.
A Face of Memory
A soulful face invites the viewer to imagine the memories behind the eyes.
Here the girl's eyes are an intense sapphire, with fine lines radiating through each iris. Strands of near-black hair cross her forehead and cheeks, and two front teeth show between parted red lips. Strong highlights run down the nose and across the brow, against a plain warm-grey wall.
Blue Hour Reverie
Cool blue tones lend this expressive portrait a dreamlike sense of calm.
A toddler with a brown bob and round, flushed cheeks looks up with amber-green eyes, her lower lip pushed slightly forward. A white ruffled collar edged in mint frames her chin. The sky-blue ground fills everything behind her.
Fragments of the Sea
Layers of vivid color turn a familiar scene into an imaginative escape.
A little girl swims underwater with her hands reaching forward and her fair hair floating up around her face. Above her, upside down, the surface of the water mirrors her face back. A striped fish with a red eye drifts beside her, and pale scalloped shapes and white wave lines pattern the deep blue around them.
The Ballet Remembers
Ballet dancers and lively hues evoke the warmth of a remembered place.
Five young dancers stand in a row inside a black painted frame, each in her own pose and costume. The girl in the centre wears a pink leotard and a full pink tutu; the others wear cream, white and blush, one with black leggings and black slippers. Their hair ranges from a blonde bun to a dark afro, and the grey studio wall behind them is left plain.
Eyes of the Evening
A direct gaze and muted tones create an atmosphere of quiet mystery.
A girl with olive-green eyes and thick dark brows faces the viewer without smiling. Her near-black hair is brushed in long strokes with a faint blue sheen, and a strip of orange-red clothing shows at the very bottom of the canvas. Apart from that orange and the green of her eyes, the palette stays in muted tans and browns.
The Gentle Witness
Soft color and expressive features offer a tender portrait of presence.
The girl here tilts her head a little and smiles with closed lips. Her eyes are a soft grey-green, her skin a warm caramel, and her dark hair falls straight past her face. Behind her the background is almost white, which sets the dark hair off sharply.
The Weight of Wonder
An evocative face draws attention to emotion, texture, and subtle contrast.
Oversized green eyes with long lashes dominate this close portrait of a girl whose auburn hair is tied loosely back. A few red strands escape around her temples and cheeks. Her skin is pale with rosy cheeks and a muted pink mouth, and the off-white ground leaves the face and hair to carry all the colour.
Wildflower Thoughts
A little girl playfully applies bright red lipstick capturing the innocence, curiosity, and charm of childhood.
A little girl with brown pigtails tied in red bands puts on bright red lipstick, her mouth wide open and her green eyes wide. She wears a pale pink top, and the background is a flat blue-grey. The moment is caught halfway, with the lipstick still at her lip.
Under a Sapphire Sky
A charming little girl surrounded by blooming wildflowers gently admires a delicate butterfly, capturing the innocence, wonder, and magical beauty of childhood beneath the warm golden sunlight.
A little girl in a yellow dress printed with small white flowers holds a monarch butterfly on her fingertips and studies it. A second monarch rests on her red headband. Sunlight streams in from the upper right across a green meadow dotted with yellow and plum-coloured flowers.
The Last Golden Light
Golden light and bold color offer a warm, memorable final impression.
A girl in a pale sweater cups a glowing, flame-shaped golden light in both hands. Its glow lights her face and the front of her sweater from below, while her hands fall into shadow. Small round lights float in the deep blue sky around her.