Pretty in paint

By David F. Rooney

It’s no secret to people who know me that I enjoy babies. I may not enjoy having them around 24/7, but I greatly appreciate their innocence, natural joy and willingness to be adored by everyone around them.

One of the infants I especially enjoy is Gwen Lips and Chris Johnston’s daughter, Bridget. She almost always has a big, big smile for me and is generally not afraid of being picked up by this big with a beard.

So when Gwen approached me about an ad promoting the art supplies at Castle Joe Books, I immediately had this brain wave: Bridget could be the model for the ad! It sounded good in theory and it even worked in practice… for a while. After about 45 frames she decided enough was enough, but I did manage snag some decent images that I thought I’d share with the public…

Babies make wonderful subjects for photos so when Gwen Lips asked me to produce a design for an upcoming ad about art supplies for Castle Joe Books I suggested that her daughter, Bridget, would make an excellent subject. Like all babies who are teething Bridget was delighted to discover she could jam tubes of paint in her mouth for that oh-so-necessary itchy gum relief. David F. Rooney photo
And it wasn't just tubes of paint either. Bridget found that — besides gumming them — brushes were great props when posing for the photographer. David F. Rooney photo
Oh, look! More art stuff for me to play with! Bridget's a very inquisitive baby, a quality she shares with her mom, Gwen, and her daddy, Chris Johnston. David F. Rooney photo
She's also a liiiitle head strong. So, when she had enough of posing for the camera she decided to turn her back on it all and reach out for new objects of potential fun. David F. Rooney photo