Several years before painting this, I was hiking when the memory surfaced: I needed to paint that photo of myself—nearly 35, lying on a wall at my mother’s cousin Jacinta’s house in Croatia. No one remembers who took it, and I don’t remember lying down like that. Strange behavior for a first visit with a relative—but there it was.
The light in the photo made the skin on my arm glow. I thought, “That young woman had no idea how lovely her body was.” None. So I painted her—to honor that body, and her.
The process was wonder-full. I watched myself perform the craft: colors forming contours, clothing, limbs. And all the while, realizing—this is me. My ankle. My toes. My eyebrow.
There are no guarantees in art, but I’m happy with how it turned out. It was fun painting jean shorts—never had the occasion before! And looking at the finished piece, I can feel that body—lighter, more lithe than the one I’m in now. (It was over 20 years ago!) Still, it’s lovely. I made myself real to myself in a way I’ve never experienced.
I’m amazed by the luck of having this photo—taken after six months in Paris, on the island of my grandparents’ birth, newly divorced, relaxed and at peace.
To be able to create this—what a gift. I’ve never felt more grateful to be an artist.
October 2018 -22″x30″ – Watercolor on Paper
More from the Places Gallery
Bella Serata
Joe and I stayed in the room with this window on two trips to Pomino in Tuscany: 2017, my dad’s last trip to Italy, and in 2022. A few weeks after we came home in 2017, Pop and I were sitting at their kitchen table. “Let me ask you something, have you left Pomino?”...
Lunch on the Terrace
I had lunch with my parents on the back terrace in the place we stayed in Quarante, in Langedoc in France - the same village where Blue Door is. I love the colors in the salad and wine and was intrigued to paint the reflections and shadows in the glasses and plates....
Lunch at La Valencia
In June 2009, I showed my work at the La Jolla Festival of the Arts for the first time. The festival organizers (the Torrey Pines Kiwanis) seemed to like my work. A few months later, they invited me to submit a concept for the 2010 festival poster. I was thrilled! To...
Blue Door
I found this blue door while strolling through a tiny village called Quarante in Languedoc, in southwest France. I was on vacation with my parents. Those 12 days in France continue to be some of the best days I've ever spent on vacation, and I love being reminded of...