“Remembering Elena”
Pencil, pastel, and watercolor
2021
NFS
During a telephone conversation with my longtime (Since college) friend, Caroline, our mutual friend Elena’s name came up. Caroline, knowing more than I’ve known, told me about the last year and the 3 or so years after/since. Elena (Italian, but she married a Sewanee boy and had two children by him; she commissioned portraits of both of them). died all too young and suddenly. She was, indeed, graceful and lively and fiercely intelligent. This is a portrait of her in my house, with Morgan in her lap. I’ll be giving this to Caroline, with thanks for the honest conversation. And here’s a song for lovely Elena Matthews……https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnZQy6BcxIc