A Rehearsal

Shawn Fields lives in the quiet village of Mill River, where he and his wife, Kenzie, raise their three children. Fields, whose technique was greatly influenced by Norman Rockwell, spent a decade doing narrative paintings, oftentimes using his children (now 18, 16, and 12) and their friends as subjects. This painting, “A Rehearsal,” had its beginnings when Fields’ eldest son, Odie, became involved in theater with Shakespeare and Company at Mount Everett Regional School. In that setting, children were taught to be brave. “I was knocked over by the love and work and joy that went into making the performances,” says Fields. “They were teaching these kids something that would last a lifetime.” The person at the piano is the much-loved Hilda Banks Shapiro, who was a Berkshire 25 honoree in 2016.

She died last August at age 95. Fields knows each child in the painting, and the costumes are from various performances, including ones his wife made. The stage is at town hall. “It is part of the bigger truth that the illustrator wants you to see,” says Fields. “I want to see humanity pouring out of the painting. Reality isn’t like that. You have to lie to tell the truth.” His sketches have been exhibited at the Norman Rockwell Museum, which will release “Drawing Life with Shawn Fields” on March 16, 2023, as part of an online series. His artwork can be found at the Prairie Whale, Marjoram + Roux, the Southfield Store, and at shawnfields.com.

—Anastasia Stanmeyer