I started painting in January. The first image was my first painting on canvas. I didn't have any type of paint brushes so if was done with a makeup brush.
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I was disappointed with my results, but not my effort. I knew I needed paint brushes, but when I looked online I was overwhelmed by thousands of brushes whose uses I was unsure of. I called my friend Grier, a lifelong painter in his 80s and asked for help, but...
Concurrently, I was suffering from hot flashes and night sweats and they kept me from sleeping. The effect of this lack of sleep was that I was emotional. So, when I spoke with him and told him how overwhelmed I was, I broke down crying. I told him it was because I lacked sleep, but it didn't matter. In a week I received in the mail seven paint brushes.
I called to thank him, but there was no answer. I tried over several days. Finally I emailed him a heartfelt thank you note. The next day, his wife called to tell me he had fallen and hit his head. He was in a coma.
Grier lost his life shortly thereafter and I lost a dear friend. He never received my thank you for the paint brushes.
Not long before all of this, Grier sent me a camera he was not using, a pristine 5D classic. In it was a compact flash card with photos he had taken. There were about a half dozen self-portraits. I have them on my computer. One day I will paint him; when I'm ready.
Still, before he passed he gave me some good advice about how to sketch an image on canvas accurately. Because of his help I was able to paint this, my third painting done with proper paint brushes.
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To my surprise, Priscilla, the owner of Priscilla Fowler fine art where I am represented as a photographer, asked me to frame the painting. It now hangs in her gallery, for sale.
I miss Grier everyday. So I paint; everyday.
Miss Julia Grey (she/her/Miss)
Is being female relevant to photography? Not an easy question. Sometimes I wish there were more women in Photo Sharing & Discussion threads. I'm conscious of being in a minority for certain kinds of stereotypically "not feminine" subjects like gritty urban scenes.
