I Loved My Life

I paint in series; same motif – haystacks, trees, cathedrals, water lilies. normandy inspired many pencil sketches of sailing ships. aunt Marie-Jeanne encouraged me; she was a generous painter. boudin encouraged me to paint in open air, which was unheard of. I worked with Renoir for a few months; we had similar tastes and canvases. called them bad sketches, the beginning of the Impressionist period. neverland called to me where I painted canals, boats, tulips and windmills. I practiced drawing and painting an identical motif over and over. best decision I ever made was to buy the marshlands across the road. diverted the stream, creating a gorgeous new water lily garden. weeping willows, iris and bamboo shot up, entertaining my paint brush. meditated and painted there until I died at the happy age of eighty-six.