Every painting tells a story.

Now that some of you have seen the book of mom's art in printed form, I  realize that each painting brings forth memories, stories and questions. Some of you have never seen some of the work in the book. I have heard a lot of, "where did that come from?" Or seeing the sunny alcove off my mother's kitchen on a winter day (above) some of her grandchildren will remember having a "tea party" at that small table and chair in the foreground. To the right is a mirror made from a window frame reflecting the inside world just as the window on the left  let's us see out.  (I happen to know that all those window frame mirrors that originally hung in our house in Canada, were bought by mom at Bertha Thayer's farm auction in Mansonville, Quebec.)

The main character in the above piece is "Boug" my mother's pride and joy. She was able to keep this tropical plant healthy and blooming through thirty four long winters. The minute I walked into her
Andover house for a visit, she would direct me to see the blooming bougainvillea resplendent in pink flowers (technically the "flowers" are leaves, my mother instructed, the tiny white flowers are inside) and green leaves on a snowy New England day. She drew and painted this plant often.

Word has it that this plant was a gift  from her fellow members of The Summit Garden Club on the day in April when I was born.  It moved with us from Summit to Brookline, Massachusetts and then to Andover. When mom died my siblings looked at me knowingly. Boug would be going home with me.

That is another story and many of you know her fate. I always thought we were not a good  pair, Boug and I. We both knew who was missing and neither of us could get too excited about life without mom. I did not have my mother's magic touch with plants. Luckily Boug's memory is forever saved on canvas where dust mites and cold, drafty environments won't touch her.

What memories or impressions are stirred for you by these paintings and silk screens? I would love to know.