Stoyanka has always been special to me because she and my son Martin knew each other in the orphanage in Bulgaria before coming to Haines.  Stoli, as she is known, grew into a lovely young lady, and I wanted to paint her portrait.  She posed for number of sessions while she was pregnant.  This image is from sketches done in her home in February 2012, not long before her baby was due.  Impending motherhood made her radiantly beautiful, and I wondered what her thoughts were and how they related to her past when she contemplated her new role as a mother.  She gave birth to a lovely daughter, Lani, and is now enjoying parenthood with her husband Nels.