Making Changes for the Better

"Oh, I must say there have been some changes. In fact, it seems to me that I've acquired a freedom with my materials that I've never experienced before, be it in painting or drawing. Maybe it's because I've lost this foolhardy sense of having to paint a certain way or not at all, but nevertheless, I'm convinced that my painting has improved."

Al Sprague , Artist's Journal, April 16, 1964

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Singing and Dancing, 2018

In December 2016, I thought my world was coming to an end. My life that I had enjoyed and become accustomed to over eleven and a half years was ripped away from me in a split second. I put my nose to the ground; I put all my energy into my strong belief that God had a plan, and he was not leaving us out to dry. 

Things began to change in the Fall of 2017. Although my husband took a job miles away from us, I could see through the clouds. Six months later we were settling into a new home, in a new state. Moving is always difficult but we had just purchased a house that was made specifically to display artwork and I had a perfect spot for a new pollera painting. Dad had relocated to New Orleans the year prior and had just the right painting to fill the spot!

Dad's work was never static - it was ever changing - just as he was. Fifty four years after he wrote this journal entry, he recognized that something again had changed for the better in his work. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it was something that was going to influence his work from that point on. Today when I look at this beautiful piece of his heart, I recall his continuous desire to capture the beauty of one of Panama's most cherished treasures - the pollera dancers and his hope that one day he would get it just right. Dad, I whisper, "You got it right - over and over and over again!"