16. The Hunter

The Hunter (copied from a painting by Adriaen Beeldemaker 1653)

AFTER TRAVELING across the states for 6 months, the van stopped running and we moved into an apartment in east Visalia – sans transportation. We found jobs within walking distance, and got by with a kitchen table, an art table and a director's chair.  As a newlywed, I was soon to learn that art – the thing that brought us together and the thing I thought we would share forever – was the thing that would break us up.

MY HUSBAND told me the art table was his only and that he was the artist in our family. If I wanted to paint I would have to use the kitchen table.

I DID use the table. I painted this picture, a copy of a painting from the 17th century. It hangs in my living room today.

FIFTEEN years later I would paint my next one.