My Sweetheart

40" x 30"
Oil
1999

When I lived in Paris, I loved to walk around the city for hours; long, long walks around old Paris. If I walked along the quai, near Le Louvre, I would walk in just to see a few paintings. I was always fascinated by portraits. It always brought me back to their times and so many different characters, and all so alive. Most often I just stopped in front of Goya's portrait of a Countess in full length with the pink ribbon in her hair, and very light and beautiful dress; not young, not very good looking, but full of life and bursting with womanhood.

It was very hard times for me in France. The French would not give me a working permit or a resident card, my participation in the French Resistence notwithstanding. I was severely wounded and for a long time, I was kind of disabled, but I had to work in order to survive; without working permit, kind of illegally. But I was grateful to them that they did not deport me out of France, or put me into jail.

So, sometimes my visits to Le Louvre would fill me with great peace; hardship would evaporate and it was such a deep healing for me when I most needed it. This portrait is a part of my memory of that wonderful time in Paris.