My painting was awarded Second Place by juror Mona Waterhouse at the Atlanta Artists Center for the show, Renewal. You might see hints of some of my favorite books here, such as the Little House on the Prairie series, the Forsyte Saga, or even Gone with the Wind. I worked in book publishing in my first career, a profession that requires and reinforces literacy. But the painting does not have a literal meaning. It draws on my experiences as a daughter, sister, daughter-in-law, and mother.

I paint exclusively from life, because I want to depict life as it is lived over time, not in 1/100 flashes. Five models posed for this painting, as I revised and refined my own understanding of the unspoken messages I meant to convey. Annie Jefferson became the face of the two foreground figures, who might be mother and daughter, or sister and sister. In the background Tamara Smith prepares the table for what could be a celebration or a wake.