Dear MoM + a bonus watercolor

 

My sister recently sent some old photos from her scrapbook pile including this funny camp letter, undated. This is an homage to my Mom and a bit of a family saga. Probably TMI..

Was it Girl Scout camp? Was I six? Truth be told I was not outdoorsy, camper material (photo from Flickr)

Next I went to artsy, Bucks Rock Work Camp, which I absolutely adored for 3 years. We sang Handel’s Hallelujah chorus and watched a cow give birth. ‘The camp's philosophy followed the teachings of Maria Montessori, but its spirit owed as much to Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan . Campers sang folk songs, dug ditches, nurtured vegetables, pursued the arts. The owner  often responded to questions by quoting a Bob Dylan lyric, saying, "The answer is blowing in the wind." My parents decided it was a bad influence 😳 and put an end to that. 

A group portrait early days. My mom studied fashion design but life intervened. I’m sure my mother made her bias-cut dress. She made all our matching outfits.

 Do we look alike? I was often told They found me in the bushes (like Moses?) My sister still tells me that😊 Note my puffy sleeves, ruffled neckline and Tyrollean print fabric. There was probably a bow in back. 

We were the recipients of my mother’s great design talent, though I bet she never planned on becoming a children’s wear designer.

We spent summers in Beach Haven,NJ which is why I have a clam obsession. One of the cons of moving to Paris. Zero clams on the half-shell.

My sister and I walking on Atlantic City boardwalk, looking chic in off-the-shoulder matching cardies, pleated skirts and felt beanies.

They must have injected us with something to get this angelic picture. Note my pique, ruffled pinafore with puffy sleeves and bow-tied cuffs. Maybe why I don’t own anything with bows or ruffles.

Here I’m wearing a pink and black checked suit I sewed myself just before moving to New York. My mother’s master plan was: I go to design school and become the fashion designer she dreamed of being. I dug in my heels. But I had no alternate plan. I ‘drifted aimlessly’ from one art school to another. No ambition. When I lost my mother at 24 something exploded. I had to go to New York. I had to go to Parsons School of Design. I had to become a fashion designer. It wasn’t easy. I was older than my classmates: Donna Karin, Willie Smith, Michael Volbracht. I was a complete naif. I thought Sportswear was scuba-diving outfits 😳 Still I survived. I made it to 7th Avenue. For a while. Then I moved on to shoe design...more fun traveling to Italy and Spain. Then Travel writing. Then back to 7th Avenue designing in Hong Kong. Then I switched to illustration. Then wine art! I nearly forgot medical illustration. Its been a convoluted journey Mom, but I’m still drawing✏️ and sending letters 💌 to you all, my latest adventure ❤️ 

A big shout-out to Stephanie for writing a letter review on etsy👏👏👏 Much appreciated.

If you’d like a small personalized watercolor buy anything in my shop this weekend and write DEARMOM in the notes at checkout. 

                   From Paris with Love PBers 💋🍓❤️☺️🐻