To Bonnet or Not to Bonnet

Woman in a Rain Bonnet?, acrylic, 14x11

At Easter time I thought not of Easter bonnets, but of the rain bonnets my mother wore to preserve her hairstyle. There are few photographs of my parents from the 50's and 60's so I just began with a face. My mother always held her chin high, I added her (& my) nose with a bump and our thin lips. I chose reddish brown hair instead of Mom's light brown (more contrast with the background) and no real style because it would be covered, and eliminated her glasses. I thought she should be standing on my porch-- not in the rain--but I didn't like the jigsaw cornice of my porch. I rode around town; each Queen Anne has its own hand-jigsaw work. I found the right shape, asked for permission to photograph it--then decided the cornice should match the scarf and not be so intricate. Thank you, nice family on 8th Street.

Now the rain bonnet is a problem--I haven't been successful at finding the cheap plastic folded type. I did find an image on Google--Queen Elizabeth wearing one. I like the painting as is but without the rain bonnet my concept disappears. Who would have thought that Dollar General would have $1-rain ponchos but no rain bonnets.

I felt the suit should be a primary color and Mom didn't wear yellow, and little red. I realized today that this blue suit is actually what I wore to court in D.C. 47 years ago when my husband and I were married at 9 a.m. on a payday. If I give this woman bright red hair teased into a French twist and freckles, this could pass for my wedding portrait.

With a rain bonnet it will be my mother saying, "Robert, I am not going out in this rain." Maybe I should add that five-dead-mink scarf (we lifted the tails and made rude noises in church).