Meet the Smiths.

This adorable family made my heart melt from day one. Little Hunter won me over with his snot nose, sticky hands and big 'ol heart. Haha. He’s so adorable it’s ridiculous.

Jill became my best pal almost instantly, and her hubby Jake is probably the easiest guy to get along with and nails the Dad thing down pat.

Other than their obvious beauty, they all have distinct looks that makes for a tough portrait, but I sure do love a challenge =) And trust me, Jill’s exquisite taste and expectations are hard to please, so I was nervous. Best pals forever? We'll see.

Good news. Turns out it's one of my fall time favorites. I think the Smiths liked it a lot too. Phew. (Best pals... on)

Here is their questionnaire, answered. (In Jill’s own words…)

Who is the portrait of?

Myself, my husband Jacob and our 2 year old son, Hunter

Why did you choose to get this portrait made?

I always wanted a portrait done and we had just done family photos so I thought a portrait would be a great follow up.

Is there anything else you would like to share about the photograph, person, pet in the painting?

The photos were done by Wendy Alana Photography. (She Rocks!) There were so many to choose from, but in my favorite one, my son wasn't really looking, so Marina used details from other photos to create the overall portrait. How did you hear about letmepaintyou.com - Art of Marina?

Marina is actually a friend of mine. I knew she painted but didn't know she did portraits until recently. I saw some of her portraits on her blog and knew I had to have her do a portrait for our family. Best decision EVER!

Are you happy with the way the painting turned out?

No, I am actually THRILLED! It's very hard to capture the moment in a painting and it's always up to the artist's interpretation. I had no idea how it would turn out, but it is better than I could have imagined! I would highly recommend Marina, and her portraits (or any of her artwork for that matter)!

Can't wait to see the painting hanging in your news house this Spring!
Thanks Smith Fam. Love you guys xx