Heaven, I'm In Heaven

Guy’s Mother passed away in the spring of 2010 She was healthy until about a month before she died at the age of 95. We just sold the house and were packing this weekend the last of her things.

I want to share this personal account:

Guy got his Mom’s stereo to work, it's a lovely old piece of furniture with a great sound. He got the record part to work and was saying to himself, “I wish I got this to work when you were alive Mom but I hope you are in Heaven listening”, then he randomly took the needle and put it on this old Frank Sinatra record and he heard Frank sing, "Heaven, I'm in Heaven".

Later he found out it was from a song, Dancing Cheek To Cheek.

I found one life drawing I did on her when she was alive and healthy, I believe she was reading at the time. She always was always in perpetual motion and had a figure like a girl most of her life.

 I have also included here are some sketches I did of  my husband Guy and one large pastel painting incidentally these were also created from life, not using a photograph.

Love and Anger

Self Portrait, ball point pen

While navigating the BFA program at the University of Akron, my best friend Connie Morris used to say that she liked people who had a little “rot around the edges”. I love her and that quote. Being an outcast and having come from an abusive family into a former marriage of abuse; I experienced firsthand the reactions of people not able to grasp the irony and insights of those of us who are odd and left out.

Watercolor by Connie (Morris) Wilson

 I lost touch with Connie (Morris) Wilson but I was sorry to hear from a friend that she died at age 51, leaving three sons and grandchildren. Her husband Richard Wilson preceded her.

Perhaps it’s the time we take to tear our souls apart and display those darker pieces which are most moving and helpful to the world. Guernica by Pablo Picasso may just be his greatest piece and I am sure his darker nature enabled him to create such a moving work.

Guernica is a painting by Pablo Picasso; the Spanish Civil War 1937

We love the movie that takes us through the depths of despair, sometimes to lift us up, but not always; often we are faced with unanswered resolutions; so we must seek the light ourselves.

Abuse is often covered up by lace curtains in the finest homes. We make panhandling illegal in Tampa Florida but offer no alternative care for the homeless who may be plagued with mental illness or drug addiction. 

Who does not love the sunset and the pretty women in fine dress? But who reaches deep within their themselves and speaks the unspeakable in picture to get the soul to listen, to be aware and not sweep images that move the soul to action under the rug?

I will rise to the challenge in the best way to love God, to look, to feel, to show compassion and not to turn away.

As the poet Carl Sandberg says, "Even God gets tired of too much hallelujah”.