About this print:

This digital art print is a modern day take on James Wallace Baker’s 1993 painting “Saturday Morning in Colonial Hills” which featured a line of houses with manicured lawns; neighbors swarming a yard sale; a homeowner readying for someone’s 40th birthday… The print of Baker’s painting hangs on the walls of many Colonial Hills houses to this day. After moving back to the neighborhood in my 30’s, I wanted to celebrate coming home by recreating James Wallace Baker’s scene and updating it for the times.

One of my favorite mornings in Colonial Hills is our 4th of July celebration, when families are out building floats for the kiddie parade while runners race through the hills in the annual 5k, so that’s what I drew. It was extremely important to me to showcase the diversity of our neighborhood. We have many residents who feel underrepresented, who deal with the threat of discrimination based off any number of identifiers. I asked our community members before starting this piece what they wanted to see represented, and I incorporated many of their suggestions. Also included: the deer, racoons, and a For Sale sign for a 3 bedroom 1 bath for $1,000,000.

I am looking forward to raising my son down the street from where I grew up (and where my parents still live). We still have much work to do to ensure that feeling of sense of safety and belonging. Even though our neighborhoods will never be free from trying times, I so enjoy memorializing the small moments of joy and togetherness like the morning of the 4th of July!

Below is the 1993 James Wallace Baker print for reference: