Catherine Haverkamp is a Philadelphia-based fine artist, instructor, adjunct professor, and single mother of four. Her painting My Prince Caspian portrays the artist’s youngest son, Caspian, alongside Bear, his recently departed canine companion and dearest friend.

Much of Haverkamp’s work explores life’s fleeting moments: the interdependence of personal relationships, the imprint of our surroundings, and the delicate balance of the domestic sphere. The painting weaves together the nostalgia of childhood with deliberate nods to beloved children’s stories and nursery rhymes, including Little Boy Blue, The Little Prince, Goodnight Moon, and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe from The Chronicles of Narnia series.

Here, Caspian is suspended in a quintessential moment of boyhood, seen through a maternal lens. His gaze extends outward — almost beyond the viewer — hinting at the future while still faintly tethered to the transient present. Supporting him is Bear, his steadfast companion, her gaze turned aside, following the inevitable arc of her shorter lifespan — just as the mother’s, in time, will not extend beyond her son’s. The painting’s poignancy lies in the convergence of these three lives, each on its own trajectory, yet intimately intertwined. It speaks to the bittersweet anticipation of a life unfolding, the tender impermanence of childhood, and the ephemeral nature of cherished time with those we hold dear.