I originally created Il Castello Picoolo - I for a "mini" art show at the local library. This was the second year that Putnam Library, located in the Northeastern Corner of Connecticut in the United States, hosted this show. All pieces had to be 3"x3" (7.6 cm x 7.6cm) and had to be turned in by February 1st.

I decided to work from a picture of an old castle at the top of a mountain in Esperia, Italia. I wasn't quite sure how the watercolor would come out, as I was used to either Bristol Board or cold-pressed watercolor paper. Everything turned out just fine in the end, I just ended up using a bit more watercolor than usual since the canvas took in so much color.

After the art show, M's Boutique agreed to take on and sell the piece. Every so often I would go in to see if the piece had sold, only to see it safely staring back from its perch next to two other prints of mine. After more than six months, I had almost given up on this piece selling — until I received a text to call into the shop this past Sunday.

I called M's Boutique, expecting to call in and find out that they needed a hand with something at the store. Instead, Christie picked up and informed me that there was a 9 year-old girl who was purchasing the artwork and had wanted to talk with the artist. I was thrilled beyond belief, especially when she told me how much the piece moved her.

A few hours later, I made my way down to the shop to get the full story. As fate would have it, the little girl had come into the shop several weeks before. During her first visit she saw the piece, only to begin crying after she left the store without it. According to my friend, this hadn't been a child throwing a temper tantrum, she had just been so moved by the beauty of the piece that she was swept away by emotion.

This past Sunday she returned to buy it, only to find that it had gone missing. Fortunately, it had just been moved and she was able to purchase it — and let me know how much it meant to her. I, for one, am incredibly grateful that I took the time to create this little piece with the simplest of intentions.