"Everything Happens For A Reason" by LaDonna Vohar

"Renee's Green Eyes" - Pastel - By LaDonna Vohar

On a cold, gray winter’s day in Indiana, my best friend asked me to join her and her family ice skating at the local outdoor rink. Being from Kentucky, I was a non-skater, but I wanted to go along to take pictures of them on the ice. It was unusually cold that afternoon. I shivered as I looked around at the skaters in the bitter cold, and I noticed a young girl who looked as cold as I felt. She looked at me and we both chuckled at our predicament with our reaction to the cold weather.

I decided to go over and talk to her. As I approached her, I could not help but notice how beautiful her eyes were - I was awed by the passion I saw in her eyes. As an artist, I felt an intrinsic desire to capture that "spirit" in a painting of her, and those beautiful green eyes.

I introduced myself and told her I was a portrait artist. I told her she had the most beautiful green eyes I had ever seen, and asked her if she would allow me to photograph her for a painting. She replied, "Sure, what would you like me to do?" I started by taking two ordinary pictures of her. I decided I wanted to bring out more emotion in the next picture. So, before I took the third picture, I asked her to think about something she really felt passionate about, perhaps someone she loved. I saw a subtle, but magical change in her as I took the third picture. That moment became a painting of wonder and magic.

I was so excited to get home and look at the photographs I had taken. Thank goodness for the technology of digital cameras and printers. I knew immediately I had to start on this painting of this young lady and that moment that the magic appeared in her eyes. This is one of those rare times when an artist is so moved by a subject that there is an overwhelming desire and compulsion to work on that painting until it’s finished. I’ve never been so proud of a painting, especially a portrait. She had such a mystical look in her eyes.

I had become quite attached to this painting - so attached, I could not bear to part with it. I kept it for over a year in spite of offers to sell it. As time went by I decided that I needed to share this painting of Renee and put it on display at a co-operative gallery that I am a member of. Even though I wanted to exhibit it, a part of me still wasn’t ready to let it go. I was still very attached to the painting, and I missed it terribly after leaving it on the gallery wall.

Since this is a co-operative gallery, each of us are required to work in the shop about 15 random days out of the year.

On one of those random days, August 13, 2005, I was working at the gallery.

Late in the morning, around 11:00 a.m., a gentleman wandered in, and it was apparent that it was his first time in our gallery. I welcomed him with our typical greeting. When I asked him if he had been in our gallery he said he had not, but he had some time to kill. A short time later, I looked up from the counter and he was standing in front of me. “I have a question about a painting", and he turned and pointed toward the painting of Renee. “Would you happen to know who painted this?” , he asked. “Well, as a matter of fact I do know, it was me.” He then turned to me and told me that was his daughter, Renee. “You really captured her spirit”. I was still reeling with the irony of meeting the father of this young girl I had painted that cold day in December nearly 2 years before. He told me that she had moved to New Mexico, and that he was planning to move there very soon. He said he had to have the painting, but was unable to buy it at this time. We had a nice talk, and I had the opportunity to share with him how I felt about meeting his daughter and having the opportunity to capture her spirit in my painting. At that moment, I realized I had an image of that painting on my business cards, and I took one and gave it to him. He looked at the card with amazement and a loving gaze and said he was so glad he had wondered into our gallery, to what seemed more than a chance encounter. He left then, saying he would soon be back.

I felt I was the one that had been blessed that day with his visit. I had met this girl, made this painting, and conveyed her spirit to her Father. It struck me that this was more than just a chance encounter, but had signs of a much deeper connection and reason.

About an hour later my shift was over and I went home to work on my art. Shortly after I arrived home the phone rang, and it was my co-worker at the gallery. She sounded troubled and asked me to sit down. She said another gentleman (Renee's Uncle Bill) came in after I had left inquiring about my painting of Renee saying that “My brother was in here earlier today looking at a painting of his daughter, and I have to buy that painting for him”. He went on to tell my co-worker that within about 30 minutes after leaving the gallery, his brother (Renee’s Father) had received a phone call from Renee’s Mother while he was still looking at my business card with Renee’s portrait, he was told that she had died around 7:30 a.m. that very morning.

I truly believe with all my heart that divine intervention came through that door for a reason, and I could finally let go of that painting - for the portrait of Renee is finally at home.

~ LaDonna

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