Tuesday Voice

In memoriam

"Anita's Boat Painting," by Shirley Deane/Midyett (2009)

By Vic Midyett

My wife, Shirley, painted this picture from a photograph she took of that boat leaning against the Paper Bark tree during her daily walk along the Collie River. The river runs along behind my sister Anita's house in a community called Australind in Western Australia. The boat drew her to start the painting.
    There's another panel, to which Shirley added pelicans because Anita loves them.

"Anita's Boat Painting [right panel]" by Shirley Deane/Midyett (2009)

Pelicans do fly there, but they were not in the photograph Shirley took. There are three pelicans, to represent Anita and her two sons. The older son died very suddenly from a "heart virus" within 24 hours of feeling bad when he was six years old. The virus was something they might have been able to treat, but it's very rare and its diagnosis was consequently not made in time. My nephew's name was Owen James.
    Here are the panels arranged as the artist intended them:

[click image to enlarge]

    These paintings evoke strong emotions for everyone personally involved in their story, which arose from Shirley's adding that first, flying pelican. Shirley's paintings often seem to evolve into their own life form. She starts off with an idea, and many times it becomes something slightly or totally different. One of her other paintings she has re-done at least a dozen times—the same scene, but completely different feelings evoked each time. She calls it her psychological-work-in-progress painting.
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Copyright © 2013 by Vic Midyett

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