I am the woman who does not know
where she wants to be buried any more.
When I was small I wanted a big angel on my grave
with wings like in a Caravaggio painting.
Later I found that too pompous,
so I thought, I'd rather have a cross.
Then I thought, a tree.
I am a woman who does not know
if I want to be buried any more.
If no one goes to graveyards any more,
if you won't visit me there no more,
I might as well have my ashes in a jam jar
and be more mobile.
But let's get back to my exhibition here.
I've been told that people want to know,
why such a somber title for a show?
Is it about artists and their mid-life careers?
Or is it about women's after-50 fears?
No, let me make this clear.
It is the best definition I can find
for what an artist does when making art,
and how a figure in a painting makes its mark.
For the type of portraitist like me,
this is as wide as I can see.