Sometimes it feels nurturing to consider early influences and the dreams we had as young artists. I stand now at the entrance to my sixth decade and I'm embracing the many teachers and mentors that have appeared along my path.
Marc Chagall helped lift my spirit during a time of deep retreat and creative focus in the late 70's. I lived at a magical water front estate and botanic garden called Casa del Mar and while there I was in the on-going process of healing from horrific violence and deep trauma.
Chagall's world view helped me (repeatedly) to lighten my burden and to gently loop back into my early environment so as to reclaim any misplaced aspects of my artist dream life.
I leaned into his work for about 18 months as seen here in this 18x24 inch watercolor titled 'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl' that I painted in early 1980.
Notice in the middle ground the pony drawn cart. When I was a child there was a man who came through the inner city neighborhood calling out in a loud clear voice 'PAPER! RAGS! PAPER! RAGS! We children would run along beside him eager to pat his gentle white pony as he heaped the contributions that the women brought out to his old wooden wagon. I suppose he was one of the earliest recyclers that I can recall. And a most charming elderly man.
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