My mother died at the age of 73 on April 29,1999. Coincidentally with her death, my entire life went sideways.

My ex-husband was in China when I shared the news of her death. He said he would come back to the US for her memorial. My father picked him up at the Charleston, SC airport. After he reached my parents’ house, I only remember that he went to the guest room and slept and got up when we had to go to the church and afterwards be among the group that assembled along the tidal creek when the family spread her ashes in the water.

When we returned to Worthington, MA, he began to separate himself from me. He took psychological refuge with another woman who lived in the same town. This was the beginning of the end of our marriage. For the next year, we would both suffer when we were together. Then he left on March 15, 2000. He never lived in our house again.

My art reflects where I had to direct my mind. I already was working with geometric shapes. I began to incorporate them into 22.25″ square drawings where I tried to create an imaginary place of peace even though my heart was slowly breaking from grief. The drawings are mixed media: charcoal and oil pastel.

Below are images documenting a few of those drawings. They were shown in a gallery in Great Barrington, MA. Some of them were sold. One of them is for sale online.