45" x 48"

A Visitor

One of my first paintings, this was inspired by working as a Home Health Nurse in rural North Florida. It depicts myself in the far left corner visiting a family who were caring for their elderly, ill father. I am small and ghostlike, bringing little of value to the situation.  Because the canvas was larger than just the  intimate setting between  father and  daughters, I filled in the other figures to symbolize the different reactions to dying that I had witnessed going into these homes- anger, ambivalence, resignation, faith and acceptance.

One detail-the room had a small window that looked out to a church and cemetery- I imagined this dying man's spirit floating out that window one day soon.