Artist Richard Black had been friends with my brother for years before we discovered we were second cousins. After the premature death of Richard’s father, Irvin, our families had lost touch. Long before that, my grandfather Len (Irvin's uncle) made this 10” model yacht for his nephew Irvin when he was a little boy. It is one of the few items Richard has that belonged to his father. This portrait pays tribute to the model yacht's connection to us both.