to see the image gallery.
Pierre on His Death Bed
Barb spent a lot of time with Pierre over the last four months of his life. On his last night, she could see that he was about to die. She laid her head beside his on the pillow and cried where he could not see. The two care aid workers could see that she was in grief and watched, tenderly, from the foot of the bed. When she collected herself and could smile, she raised her head and visited with him. When she came home, she painted this painting.
In the morning, she returned to his bedside and stayed with him until the end.
Victoria, BC
Acrylic on Canvas
12” by 24”
2005
When Barb was a little girl, she happened to meet Elizabeth and Pierre. They both made a huge impression on her and she stayed in their lived until they died. In her journal , she calls Elizabeth “the mother of my heart”.
Elizabeth died first and Barb spent a lot of time with Pierre over the last four months of his life.
On his last night, she could see that he was about to die. She laid her head beside his on the pillow and cried where he could not see. The two care aid workers could see that she was in grief and watched, tenderly, from the foot of the bed. When she collected herself and could smile, she raised her head and visited with him.
When she came home, she painted this painting.
In the morning, she returned to his bedside and stayed with him until the end.
Barb feels weird about selling reproductions of this painting. It is intensely personal and she does not know why anyone would want to buy one.
It has been listed here for two reasons: One is that this site attempts to be almost completely representative of the body of her work after about 2003. The other is that it is such a powerful painting. In a simple, yet profound, way it very expressively shows the depth of love and tenderness that she had for Pierre and the grief that she was experiencing in that moment. It is rare indeed that we get to see art produced in such moments.
|