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Beginning, Middle and End |
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Fall Colors |
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Little Mouse, Big.... Impact |
It's been a long grueling summer and a hectic fall. I've been making a lot of work but it's been under a state of duress. My father had been very sick and then chose to go into hospice in September. I officially put my brushes down and helped my family through this hard time. We sat with him, brought in food, family and friends, and as the time neared - we were quiet and held his hand. We watched Irma sweep into Florida on the tv in his room when there wasn't much to say anymore. And then on Sept 13, he passed away. My dad was my best friend. He taught me how to use watercolor in the first place. Whenever people ask me where I went to school, I always say that my dad taught me how to paint first. Art school didn't teach me squat when it came to watercolor. Thanks to him, I had to basic skills of it down pat by the time I was in middle school. It was built into the bones of my hands and wrists. It's never been a tricky or scary medium, thanks to my early lessons. My dad set me up with a studio in the basement, where he also had his office. I got a big table with a big lamp, lots of supplies and lots of How-To-Draw books. Many of them were his mother's, who also painted.
A good deal of the art I made these past two years had underlying meanings as my dad's health grew worse and my family went through a lot of upheaval. I deal with death quite a bit in my work and I am not afraid to look at it in they eye. It's a very sacred part of life. The absence of life sticks to us. To say that I will 'miss my dad' is just the tip of what I feel. Thank you to everyone who has helped us out and been so supportive.