Almost fifteen years ago, a friend, who happened to be a reporter, asked me a series of questions, as if for an interview. Here’s my explanation of a couple of the paintings that were already on the walls as we spoke.

This is one of my favorites. My sisters and I were dressed exactly alike for most of our lives. This painting doesn’t necessarily show exactly what we looked like in a photographic representation. But they look like what our attitudes and personalities were like to the point where each of my sisters can stand here and they will say, unequivocally, “That’s not me,” and then point directly at the one that is her.

In this painting, there is a red chair. These three girls are stuck in this red chair and they look like they pretty much can’t get out of there, and they are dressed very nicely as if they were going to have a photo taken.

They have these little socks and shoes that are practically nailed to the floor.  And there it is, the arch thing, which acts as a wall. They are over-protected. There is danger because there is no back wall on that room. Even the fence is falling down. There is a cityscape behind them that doesn’t look necessarily warm and inviting.

There is a bush in bloom beyond that wall. There is blackness that is falling from that bush onto a chair. There are three chairs and a table also in the background—each of those chairs representing one of those girls. Two chairs are facing each other. The sisters are paired off, and I sort of get isolated, even in my own family structure. The chair all the way at the back represents me.

The petals are used to talk about a situation that happened that wasn’t necessarily a great thing. The chair even casts an ominous shadow. Again, I have taken an ugly situation and made it beautiful. I’ve talked about it, and put it down, without hitting people over the head with it. I’m not a sensationalist. I am saying, “Here is what happened.”

There is usually something green in my paintings. This one is no different. There is a live plant in this one. I don’t know why I do that except that I think it is possible for a plant to grow, despite hardship and life’s difficulties. I think there are still ways to make a life.

This one here . . . We did sing when we were young. We are all dressed actually alike and we are different. This time there isn’t a green plant. There is a candle in this painting that is basically representing the hope. There is the over-protection. There is still no back wall in this room.

I have three women in this painting. They are standing so close together they cast one shadow. I am basically saying these people are of the same mind.

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