Oil 48″ x 60″

Watermelon Wanda was finished for just two weeks and the paint hadn’t yet set upon the occasion of my second solo show. Wanda, the largest painting, was the centerpiece

of the exhibit but as the month long show wore on, there were no offers for her.

As I began to take the exhibit down, a nervous woman hurried up to me. “ Am I too late? Is this painting sold?” This made me happy because Wanda carried a high price tag, but I was conflicted; it was a new canvas and I hadn’t had the chance to live with it myself.

My buyer provided her address, which I knew to be in a swank neighborhood. I had my own dreams of fame as I thought about Wanda hanging in a showplace where prospective buyers might see her. I was led to a tiny attic apartment, my buyer’s rental within the home. Wanda was as large as the wall on which she was to hang. No fame for Jane.

“You know, this is the first check I’ve written myself. I was depressed after my divorce but seeing this painting made me feel so hopeful and strong I wanted to have it near me.”

I may not have found fame, but I was reminded of why I began painting women in the first place. I knew Wanda had found her rightful home.