Mary and Stan

Mary and Stan, when I was 20, gave me a bed to sleep in and a warm coat. Wandering, I had come to the mainland from Hawaii in the winter of '83-'84 and was woefully ill-prepared for the cold. The winter wool coat was just the wrapping on a life long gift of mutual love, acceptance, and deep friendship that forged in a matter of weeks.


Because Houston is home to the Texas Medical Center, it has provided Reese and me with many opportunities to meet people, and see long time friends who travel here from all points of the globe for treatment. Mary and Stan lived here for a short while, and have been back and forth since then for various ailments. On one such visit, Stan pulled a wallet sized, well worn, black and white photo of Mary in her back-in-the-day nurse's uniform from the wallet his back pocket....and asked if I would paint a portrait of Mary for him.

Translating a tiny, well worn, black and white photograph into a full color 12" x 16" portrait is more than a bit tricky. Truthfully, this portrait has been in the works off and on for seven long months. After all that struggle, it's a great pleasure and a tremendous satisfaction that I'm finally very pleased with the finished product.


With all my heart Mary and Stan, thanks for the coat.