Mitchell first saw her at a wedding reception. "She was small and fragile, quiet, and in some way, mysterious," he says. "She wasn't just another cute kid, she was timeless. I knew I would paint her."
.Hope's eyes are large and expressive. He never planned to paint her with her eyes closed. "I wrestled with that," he said. "When I spent time with her, watching her, she often played with a baby doll. She would embrace it so tenderly, and when she did, her soft eyelashes closed like a fan, down upon her soft skin. At that moment, it was like she was alone in the world; just her and the doll. Ultimately, I had no choice, but to paint that feeling."
.Something about the way she looks and the way Mitchell has captured her transcends the ages. People, who see the painting agree that it could have been done five hundred years ago or five hundred years from now.