Front Street, Maysville, Kentucky, 2002, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
In front of their house by the Ohio River in Maysville, Kentucky my father Clarence stands between his brother and sister towards the beginning of the twentieth century. His family had lived there since the eighteenth century and his mother, my grandmother, was poet laureate of Kentucky (1905).
Chicken and Diary Farm, Norwalk, California, 2002, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
Across the continent my grandmother Sarah, who had emigrated from Hungary and lived in Chicago, sits alongside my mother Dorothy and her twin sister Gertrude on their farm in Norwalk, California (1917).
Kentucky Picnic, 2003, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
Now a strapping teenager, my father sits with his sister and cousin at a family picnic in Maysville. In the background are various maiden aunts (1918).
Norwalk, California, 1917, 2002, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
In the early twentieth century Norwalk was still a town of open fields and small farms (1917).
Kentucky Lake, 2005, 15×22 inches, watercolor
Wearing a black cap, my father swims with friends on a nearby lake (1921).
California Courtship I
California Courtship II
California Courtship, 2004, 45×24 inches, oil on canvas
After graduating from law school at UK, my father moves to California to make his fortune. Older, richer, and a flashy spender, he meets my mother and dazzles her with his sophistication and panache. They double-dated at Lake Arrowhead with my mother’s younger sister Amelia and Cliff, her husband-to-be (1928).
Proud Father, 2003, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
I enter the picture with my dapper father looking on fondly (1931).
Garden on Denker, 2003, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
My grandmother was considered grouchy, but she loved tending to the flowers in her garden on Denker. Many years later I found out that my mother’s family was Jewish. When I was growing up, it was never mentioned and the only religious experience in California I can remember was being taken to the Christian Science church on Edgemont (1933).
Redondo Duplex, 2003, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
My father was doing well in real estate and the stock market, and we moved around a lot. Here I am with my new kiddy fire engine in front of our duplex on Redondo Boulevard (1934).
New Dress, Gardner Street, 2005, 15×22 inches, watercolor
I am proud of my new dress (1936).
Gardner Street Backyard, 2003, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
My mother’s twin sister Gertie, now a sophisticated secretary complete with painted nails and a constant cigarette, lived with us on Gardner. On weekends we had a ping pong table set up in the driveway. Always intent on center stage, my mother enrolled me in the Meglin Kiddies, a Hollywood dance school for embryonic child stars that boasted Shirley Temple among its graduates. I’m wearing my official dance costume (1938).
Farmers Market, 2003, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
My younger sister Ellie at the Farmer’s Market, when it still actually was a farmer’s market, tentatively watches a duck being fed (1938).
Gardner Street Driveway, 2005, 15×22 inches, watercolor
Ellie always seemed a better vehicle for Mom’s dreams of stardom than I was (1938).
Santa Monica Beach II, 2003, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
Our favorite times were at the beach in Santa Monica (1938).
Santa Monica Beach I,
1965, 50×30 inches, oil on canvas
Hanging out with our dad (1938).
Backyard Glider, 2003, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
In the Denker backyard, Grandma, my mother’s half-sister Lily, and I sit on the glider. I didn’t find out the half-sister part until later as well. When I asked my mother who my grandmother had been married to before, she replied, “We didn’t talk about such things then” (1938).
Cousins on a Chair, 2003
24×30 inches, oil on canvas
On the front porch at Denker, Ellie and I hold our cousin Kathy, Cliff and Amelia’s daughter. Grandma is in the doorway and the shadow is Mom taking the picture (1939).
My Father’s Hangover, 2004, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
My father’s business is not going well. His Kentucky gentlemanly ways- agreements with a handshake rather than a contract- have made him prey to sharper dealers. He’s drinking more and has a bleeding ulcer. After my Kentucky grandfather dies and leaves him a small insurance business, they move back to Maysville (1939).
Second Street, Maysville, 2004, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
Second Street Maysville, the business district. Jaunty and unburdened, my parents are making a new start. Even though small town life is totally new to my mother, she will plunge in, joining the Presbyterian church, becoming the Twilight Lady on the radio, and generally taking part in whatever social activities are available (1941).
Maysville Harvest, 2004, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
Along with the insurance business my father inherited a family farm worked by tenant farmers. Here he poses as the gentleman farmer helping some of the harvesters hired for the season (1942).
My Boyfriend’s Watch, 2004, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
After the freedom of school and life generally in California, Maysville is a shock to me but I’m learning its ways. I’m eleven now in my own front yard, wearing my boyfriend’s watch (1942).
Iceskating on the Pond, 2004, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
Ellie and I iceskate on a nearby frozen pond. The beaches of California seem far away (1944).
Front Yard with Roller Skates, 2004, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
Before we moved back, my father implied all Kentucky houses resembled Tara. Instead we moved into a small two-story Victorian house on a busy street, where Ellie and I often rollerskated (1943).
Wild Party, 2004, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
Our house was one of the many stops on the round of parties that made up Maysville social life (1950).
Black Dresses, 2004, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
My friend Betty and I sit on our front steps in our first black dresses, feeling terribly sophisticated (1947).
Canoeing on Park Lake, 2005, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
One summer pastime was canoeing on Park Lake with Ellie and friends. I’m in the green sweater (1947).
In the Kitchen, 2005, 24×50 inches, oil on canvas
My father in our kitchen with our housekeeper Edna, his ubiquitous drink in his hand. His other distraction was doing crossword puzzles (1948).
Band Break, 2005, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
I played the clarinet in the band from sixth grade to twelfth grade and began to make friends with boys like Ralph Calvert here, as well as boyfriends (1948).
Kiss at George’s House, 2005, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
George, my first husband, lived in a big house on the hill, the best part of town. I often felt I was playing the part of the happy wife in the romantic marriage (1950).
Fitz’s Birthday Party, 2005, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
The second birthday party for Fitz, the older of our two sons. I am pregnant with David (1950).
Cocktail Party, 2010, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
My friend Carla and I in our early twenties at her engagement party at the Maysville Country Club. We’re all getting married and having babies at this time (1951).
Kentucky Lake Vacation, 2005, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
On vacation in Kentucky Lake. George is in the water and I’m sitting with my friend Zoe. Our marriage isn’t going too well (1951).
Sunday in Nyack, 2005, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
George and I have moved to Rockland County, near New York City. Fitz and David are growing up. But George and I are beginning to go our separate ways (1955).
Barbershop, 2010, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
David getting his hair cut at the local barbershop. I’m looking on with a fur hat (1961).
Upper West Side New Year’s Eve, 2005, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
My second husband, Leon, is a psychiatrist. We move to Manhattan with my two boys and his four girls (1964).
Camping in the Adirondacks, 2005, 24×30 inches, oil on canvas
That marriage is beginning to fray. Leon often plans camping trips with all the kids, which only he seems to enjoy (1969).
113th Street, 2005, 30×48 inches, oil on canvas
Leo, my third husband, and I have been married now for more than thirty years. It’s the early 70s here, and we’re walking near our apartment on the Upper West Side of New York, with one of our neighbors bopping in the background (1972).
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