TML&D

17. Perspective in drawings and paintings. One of the first things Mom would teach students was how to draw perspective, with lines intersecting at the horizon. It was also her biggest pet peeve in artists and students– to get perspective wrong. I never really learned much from her as an artist, but this is one I could not help but absorb.

18. Color theory. Another one of Mom’s basics. The blending of red blue and yellow. It’s also why I can identify extremely obscure colors and pigments by sight, but never quite as well as she — of course. And know that beige is not actually a color, nor is black.

19. Independence. Mom was always afraid that people– even at times me– were going to take her freedom away from her. She loved the fact she could just hop in her car and go for a drive, even though she didn’t like driving. She enjoyed being spontaneous and whimsical, even playful at times. She may have had the body of a 69 year old at the end, but she always had the soul of a twelve year old. Or maybe nine. She was always the first to admit this.

20. Personal Dignity. I remember how she would hide the handicapped parking hook in the glove compartment until she was far from the house. She didn’t want people to know she was in any way enfeebled. (But boy, she used those privileges every chance she could!) And during her final months, when she most urgently requested I bring her most flattering clothing from home and her favorite shampoo, conditioners and makeup. She wanted to seem as strong as radiant as she could, especially under the circumstances.