04/19/2026
On April 13th, 2026 my Aunt Kaki passed away. I started this painting of her on April 6th, 2026. I was in therapy (telehealth) working on it at the studio and my therapist asked why I decided to paint her. I answered honestly and said I had no idea - that it was a very impromptu decision on my way to the studio that day. By this point, she was on hospice and we knew the days were getting limited.
I worked on it for a few hours that Monday then left it at the studio untouched, and by that Friday I was at my Aunt's home with her and family, surrounding her in love, laughter, comfort, memories and Barry Manilow.
I tried to paint a bit there with her, but it wasn't easy to. Plus I got frustrated with it and had to just stop.
For the first couple of days after she passed, there was absolutely no part of me that wanted to return to this painting because my chest ached just after seeing photos of her.
But my cousin asked if I could finish it for the funeral. So, I went back to the studio and began working on it again.
I didn't realize what an absolute gift this would be.
Of note: I do not like painting people I know, because it's so much pressure and I fear that I can't get their likeness. I know that this painting is very far from perfect, but when I look at it - I know it's her.
I watched my Aunt's life literally fade from her body over several days. She became unrecognizable in her physical form. Seeing her after the last bits of her soul said farewell was also very jarring and that version of her is all I would see in my mind.
Working on this painting & spending over 10 hours staring at a photo of her with life in her eyes, color in her cheeks, and a smile on her face helped tremendously. Talking to her as I painted (and bitching a lot when I couldn't get certain things to work out right) was a cool bonding experience I didn't anticipate.
I am honored to have gotten to do this. To have learned as much as I did from this. To sit in loud emotions with this. And to get to pass it over to my family tomorrow for her funeral.
Art is such a healing modality and I am forever grateful to love it so much. ✨