Viviann was my family's neighbor for the first few years of my life. She would become a lifelong friend, one of the most important people in my life, and her many kindnesses would help shape the person I would become. She was interesting, inquisitive, fun, and generous. She could make her generosity delightfully impish - while out shopping, she would covertly tuck money into the purses of young mothers. She was a child of the Great Depression and told me that she remembered what it was like not having money and she liked the thought of making these young women's lives a little easier, if only briefly. She was the kind of person that you wanted to be around.   

Though she has been gone for well over a decade now - she remains with me and I am so grateful for having had her in my life. Every year, I celebrate her birthday as a holiday: May 10th - Viviann Day. 

I long postponed creating this painting as I was worried that I would not be able to do her justice without better source material from which to work - I had only a small, pixelated image and memories. In the end, the memories were strong enough to create the painting. I am thrilled to have been able to capture her and to have her with me in my studio.