Labor Day | The National Arts Program Foundation

A family on their last picnic outing of the summer season. It's Labor Day. The mom is off to the left setting up food on a table while the dad is bending down tending to the baby in his carseat. A preteen girl has her back to the camera, dressed in all white, heading towards her mom.

Painting

Oil on Canvas
30 x 40

Based on a home video from the Hawran family archives.

Michelle Hawran

Artist Michelle Hawran sitting on the ground with her black cat smiling up at the camera. There is a plant behind her.

Classification: Adult Professional

Artist Page

A brushy, figurative pairing of a mid century family at a lake. A woman is getting out of the water, two boys are further back on rafts, and a teenager has his back to the camera and is sitting in a green folding chair.

A chunky oil painting of an old man aged 93. He's smiling at the camera in front of a white background.

Fred Sr (at 93)

A mini painting of a mid century white woman in a purple dress close to the camera. She's looking down.

An acrylic painting of a historic house and garden from Hartford, CT. There are tons of beautiful flowers everywhere and there is a rose arch around the edges.

Butler McCook House

A little mid century girl wearing a bear ballet costume in preparation for a recital. She doesn't look thrilled The background is very pale green.

A crowd of anonymous mid century dressed people from a wedding gathering, walking every which way.

Two little girls from afar on white horses. And older girl is leading in the front. The landscape around them is colorful and dry, like a dessert.

Horses (Commission)

A mid century looking female rodeo clown on a round canvas. Her makeup is smudged. She's not terrifying, but a little off putting. Her hair is green and she has a teal cowboy hat with a yellow flower on the brim.

A teenage boy playing pool in a mid century, wood paneled basement. There is another boy halfway off the canvas on the left side.

Two brothers kneeling down posting with their football helmets and a football. They look serious, but their helmets are too big. There is greenery in the background.

Two mid century children playing in the snow. The girl is holding a big snow chunk while the boy in a red snow suit bends down to pick up more snow. There are trees in the background.

A mid century woman from the shoulders down, sitting. But she's not sitting on anything, it's just a seated pose. She's pink monochromatic, holding a cigarette. The background is pink with yellow flowers.

A mid century father is outside with his three kids, greenery in the background. He is showing them how to use a pump water fountain. The kids look on in amazement.

A mid century man preparing a sandwich with wonder bread in his pink and blue kitchen. He's smiling at the camera.

White background with a lineup of six kids from ages four to 10. They are making goofy faces and dressed from the early 2000s.

A young boy in a yellow shirt with clown makeup. He's bald and is missing teeth. The paint is chunky and colorful.

A colorful, brushy, chunky oil painting of three kids around a table at a birthday party. Balloons are in the background and they have party hats on. The boys are using noise makers and the girls is visibly annoyed.

A mid century dressed two year old boy reaching for a yellow toy car. There is strong lighting with a black and dark green room background.

A prairie dog with a mid century auburn hairstyle. She's filing her nails.

A cluttered basement with a white rocking horse thrown in the corner. The light is setting through a basement window.

Basement Still Life

A little mid century girl dipping her Easter egg into the dye. She is very concentrated. The painting is dark and contrasty, giving an old camera vibe.

An oil painting of the Brady Bunch title screen, but a Furby is in the center in place of Alice.

A little girl dressed like a cowgirl, looking up to the left. The background is a simple mix of greenery and siding on a house.

A chunky oil painting of a sad clown dressed in teal. He is seated on a little red chair, holding up a sign of a smiley face. But he's clearly sad.

A little boy in red overalls going to pet a bunny. His back is towards us. The figure and bunny are on a separate surface than the canvas and are hanging over the edges.

Fred and the Bunny

A two year old mid century girl dressed in white. She's turning away from the camera and wearing black Mary Janes. The background is black.

A black guinea pig with a yellow mid century hairstyle. She has a white headband, and the background is floral red.

A technicolor up close portrait of a mid century man in his mid thirties. He's wearing a green polo and making eye contact with the camera.

Fred Sr (at 35)

A chunk oil painting of a clown on a stool admiring his clown cat, which he has propped up onto a pedestal.

A Clown and his Cat

A prairie dog with Elvis hair, and glitter stars in his hair. A blue background.

A white dog sculpture painted with dozens of tiny little objects, such as hearts, fruit, plants, logos, toys, etc.

"I Spy" West Hartford Dog Project

A brushy, dreamy oil painting of a little boy in the 1960s riding a white rocking horse.

A couple from the 1980s on their wedding day. They are in front of a beautiful lake with lots of greenery. The paint is chunky and colorful oil paint.

Porter Wedding (commission)

A colorful, mixed media piece of a little blonde girl in front of a mid century yellow beetle car. The background is cardboard material.

A two year old boy on a swing. He's all the way swung back. The background is black and dark green, and he's wearing green overalls. It is a brushy, vintage-y vibe.