Amish Children

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This little oil study is inspired by my recent trip to Pennsylvania to visit my husband's family over Christmas. There is a large Amish community there, so you see them a lot. The Amish people shun most of the conveniences of modern life such as electricity and cars, and they also shun any form of vanity such as photographs, believing that pride is a sin which should be avoided - even family pride. This is why I have given them blank faces. From an artistic point of view this actually emphasises the body language, and I was intrigued by the visual dialogue you can create when no facial expression or eye contact is available. I'm a people watcher by nature, so I'm always mentally sketching when I'm in public places.