3rd Painting July 2007: The Ties That Bind

This will be my best Mother's Day gift when completed. (My mother says I never could keep a secret). It is a painting of my mother, 2 sisters (Lynn & Janet), and I which was juxtaposed from 3 photos of us. One, was a special one of Janet; the 2nd, a photo of Lynn & I hugging in Jamaica; and the last was Lynn hugging my mother.

I chose this subject because we have no photos of all of us together except for a couple. (One was from Janet's wedding at the United Nations' Chapel, the same location as her funeral, because she wanted such momentous occasions located at the greatest symbol for world peace).

The 1st photo here shows the last photo taken with the closest female relatives I've ever had that were here in NJ at the time. My grandmother, mother, Lynn, Janet, Janet's daughter Amina (age 8 at the time), and I, all together for mother's day 1996, just a couple of months before Janet passed. Lynn tried to persuade me to come take professional photos with she & our mother for mother's day in 2005 but I was too busy with schoolwork & didn't feel I had enough money since I was already coming for Memorial Day & part of the summer, so we agreed that they would take more when I got there. Then, a week after she persuaded my mom to take some of the best photos they had ever taken anyway in the meantime, Lynn went and received her cancer diagnosis.

We never took the professional photos of the 3 of us and we also only have one unprofessional one of that sort. So Mommy, "this one's for you Babe." (My hands that are visible here have already been fixed and when it's finished, it'll "really" look like it's all of us--for real :) ) Like the others seen here, you can click on any part of the photos/painting to enlarge them.

My favorite photos of Lynn & Janet were used for their funeral programs shown here, including one of those taken that Mother's Day of Lynn.

2nd Painting July 2007-Sunflower Sunset

This was my 2nd painting made July 07' in 2 or 3 days. It was copied from approximately 7 different photos put together.

I've always loved beautiful sunsets, butterflies, and flowers, but this one was more inspired by the love of 3 special women...

My grandmother told me she once had a field of sunflowers and I often wondered what that looked like until I found a calendar of sunflowers shortly after my sister Lynn passed. It included not only a field but many other beautiful shots of a wide variety of sunflowers. It was perfect timing because sunflowers were Lynn's favorite flowers and they also have reminded us of our sister Janet ever since she planted a huge one in front of her condo before her residence association made her take it down. At numerous special family events after Janet died 12 years ago, I'd give my mother/Lynn sunflowers to remind them that Janet was still with us in spirit.

One of the calendar photos had this beautiful shot of a butterfly on a sunflower so I had to use that one. Our cousin Judy said Lynn flew to her as a butterfly and stayed on her shoulder for a while before flying off shortly after she died. Then, our niece and sister-in-law told us that Lynn also flew to them as a butterfly which landed on Lynn's funeral program as they walked to her burial site following the funeral. Butterflies have reminded us of Lynn ever since.

I included a cardinal because it is not only one of the 1st of over 24 types of birds attracted to my yard when I began feeding them shortly after moving into my house, it's one of the most beautiful ones whose calls I instantly recognize.

The coreopsis flowers in the bottom of the photo I painted with the cardinal also took on a special meaning since I noticed on the 2nd day of painting that they were growing right outside of the aTi building and the art teacher told me they attracted butterflies. Of course I went and bought some to plant in my yard by the end of the program as a result. Don't ask me why they haven't been planted yet--along with more than half the other flowers, hedges, and trees I've bought since moving here 5 years ago.