2007
The Whole 9 Gallery
Culver City, CA

First Pair of Skates (Self Portrait at 4)
Oil over charcoal on canvas
with vintage 1960 flying ace roller skates.
60"x22"

ARTIST STATEMENT:

The very act of making a painting can be a driving force that cannot be ignored by the artist, even if the purpose for the work is not at first clearly understood, and yet in the end it can become a precious gift to the world.

The series I am working on right now, "A Child Blessed with Grace", includes a small group of paintings dedicated to my parents who raised me with all the love they could ever imagine having for another person. It is a special bond that only develops between a parent and a child with special needs. Although I was born without feet, I roller skated, rode a bike, jumped rope, ran with the wind in my hair and danced to music only I could hear.

The piece on the left "My First Pair of Skates", is the first painting in the series. The little brown booties I am wearing were handmade by a shoemaker, with cork stuffed in the toes to keep the shoes from bending upward. I wore these shoes with socks over them and put them into saddle shoes until I was 14, when I finally got my first pair of prosthetic feet.