A room for the whole family
At the Martins’, drawings collect on the walls and two children share a book, when they can agree on the page.
The Martins’ family room has plenty of places to sit, but their children often end up at the same table. Their seven-year-old daughter draws while her four-year-old brother offers a pencil or watches what she is doing. Books and toys are kept nearby; drawings find their way onto the wall.
She has begun taking books to her own room, too. Her brother would generally prefer to come along. Whether he is invited depends on how much help he intends to provide with the page-turning.
The photograph their parents chose for a portrait shows a quieter arrangement. A book lies across the children’s laps, his head rests against her shoulder, and she carries on reading. Their parents liked that neither child had stopped to pose.
They wanted a painting of the children together at these ages. There were plenty of photographs with two faces turned neatly toward the camera, but this one showed the familiar way their son settled against his sister. The book gave them something to share without either having to perform for the picture.
Their everyday clothes stayed in the painting. So did the sister’s attention to the page and her brother’s leaning posture. The room behind them became simpler, leaving space for the two children and their book.
The portrait hangs above the low storage in the family room, near the children’s own pictures. It is visible from the sofa and table, where considerably less peaceful projects continue beneath it.
Their daughter still sometimes prefers to read alone. On other days, she makes room.
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