Aladdin's lamp

Grandmother's last husband was named Reuben Parsigian, he died in 1979. He was Armenian and Turkish, so had that dark "foreign" look about him. Combined with an easy laugh, he was someone you would pretty much come to enjoy rather quickly. Good man.

He had such a face, so full of expression and character. I think he was a bit of a character as it was!

About 1980, after his death, she did this painting of him as someone holding Aladdin's lamp.

I am actually hoping that the kids or grand-kids from his first marriage will contact me. They ought to know what their father/grandfather was like.

Over The Top

If I have one weakness, it is all things American Old West in nature. Of course, I am smart enough to know I really would not have done well in that time period, but it does fascinate me.

I have no idea what she used as the subject for this but during the late 1970's and early 1980's she painted several western style paintings. This was one of only two I have been able to recover for the family. I still wait and watch for the other three to show up on the market.

This painting won several awards at shows in Northern California. Luckily, because of this she chose not to sell it.

Spinning Wheel

Grandmother returned home from her visit with us in South Carolina and continued to work on her oil painting. Several more landscapes and then this one appeared..

It is interesting she chose to do another spinner and she went with her daughter as the spinner. Outside of the hair, it is definitely my mother's face, done from memory. Of course mother was a strawberry blond her entire life.

This was done about 1971.

Lake Tapps - 1987

When my uncle moved to Lake Tapps, outside of Auburn, Washington - this was the view out his massive glass window in the living room.

Grandmother came up from California and painted this scene. Kept her off of the streets and busy.

Those whom know the location have all commented this was her best work, but I think she did much better. And, no one agrees with me!

Zugspite

When we moved to America, my grandmother came out and joined us in South Carolina for several months. She was fascinated by a painting we had bought from a local artist in Ramstein of the Zugspite.

The next thing we knew grandmother was buying oil paints, brushes and canvas - then working night and day to try and capture that scene. Well, it kept her off of the streets anyway...

As she lie in her retirement home, she asked me to please bring this painting and hang it for her. It was her favorite. Certainly not her best however, but the one which started her off on a 30 painting career.

Mountain Meadow

One of the last of Grandmother's oil paintings is this large oil. Quite a bit better than her earlier oils, which someday I will post.

I selected this one as it was brought to her memorial and had previous not been seen or photographed by anyone. Yeah, the owner stuck it in the back of a closet for the past 18 years! So, much for art for enjoyment!

The Spinner

This was painted sometime before 1956, since I have a photograph of me in her living room and this was hanging on the wall.

The woman bears an interesting resemblance to her first mother-in-law, Elizabeth "Jane" Spencer. No idea if spinning was something she did though.

I like the simpleness of this painting as well as the contrasts. Grandmother had a good eye in that regard.