David Park, Painter by Helen Park Bigelow

Author:Helen Park Bigelow
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781619026711
Publisher: Counterpoint
Published: 2015-11-17T16:00:00+00:00

Fig 64. Boston Street Scene, 1954 Oil on canvas, 45⅝ × 59 in. (115.9 × 149.9 cm.) Private collection

“I get tired of it,” she said, it meaning always being broke. This is the only time I heard Deedie complain about money, even though they were down to nothing at the end of each month. When a painting sold, the two hundred dollars it might bring was a bonanza that helped for many weeks.

Deedie kept on looking for a house to buy, or at least a better place to rent, and then David’s father offered to help with a down payment. The three thousand miles between Berkeley and Boston helped David and Grandpop keep a respectful distance, which lasted the rest of David’s life. The distance blurred disappointment and concern that existed between the two men. David wished his father could grasp the importance of art in his life, while Grandpop worried that David’s focus on painting didn’t provide him or his wife and children with financial security. Yet Grandpop generously gave money to Deedie and David. At Christmas there was usually a check for a hundred dollars, a lot of money then, and once a year or so another check came, just as a gift.

The offer of money for a down payment made it possible for Deedie and David to buy their own place. Soon after the offer, friends heard of a charming little brown-shingled house that was going to be for sale in the hills behind the campus, on La Vereda Road. As Deedie and David drove along the narrow winding streets they fell in love with the neighborhood. They already wanted to buy the house before they even saw it. And then it was perfect—within walking distance of the campus, close enough to hear the chimes from the campanile, with a neighborhood of old gardens and views of the bay. Most important of all, the entire upstairs of the new house was one large room with big windows that faced north, perfect for a spacious studio complete with sink and bathroom.

A sunny side yard consisted of a small, round dichondra lawn. Many times when I visited Deedie and David, we all three crouched on the dichondra, weeding out blades of grass. Those hours of weeding and deadheading flowers were deeply satisfying and peaceful, even though sometimes we hardly said a word. Terraced flowerbeds rose up the hillside from the lawn, spilling little white daisies and bright yellow nasturtiums over rock walls.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.