I was commissioned to create two portraits for the young sons of artist Rick Parker and his wife, writer Lisa Trusiani-Parker. I considered a more traditional approach before coming up with the idea of making each of the boys as a knight is armor. I also decided to make the pieces themselves look like 500-year-old antique works of art. I began by researching medieval knight costumes and created simple outline drawings by combining photos of the boys with historically correct outfits. I turned Grayson into an English Knight complete with the royal lion emblem on his shield. Grant became a French archer with corresponding fleur-de-lis emblems on his shield. Next, I cut out two identical gothic arched wood panels and carved out an inner layer, creating a natural border. The border was hand-carved and painted to give it an aged, weathered look. The drawings were transfered to the panels and the surface sealed before the application of oils. A red background was painted in acrylic before I applied the gold leaf. When the painting was completed, I finished the pieces by painting thin layers of aging varnish to give them a more muted, yellowed look. Today, they hang over the Parker family fireplace and have become, I hope, heirlooms to be passed down through the generations.