Janiele Allman Children's Story Writer

What personal belongings do you hold most dear?

When my daughter was a young child, I had seen a famous art piece of the child leaning on the Mom’s shoulder. I fell in love with the piece and the idea of capturing this moment. That following fall, I went to a country fair and there was an oil pastel artist selling her work. Her specialty was portraits. I had gotten a small inheritance, so I commissioned her to do this portrait of my daughter and I with her head on my shoulder.

We started out sitting for her and of course, it was challenging. She took several pictures of us and did the rest of the piece on her own. It truly is one of my prized possessions today. My daughter was seven at the time and now she is 37.

I hope I’ll be able to pass it on to her when I leave this place, smile.