Girl with Freckles

Oils on canvas
14 x 11"
1986

I don't know how I missed this. And here's the story:

I had a major operation in 1986. Coming to, still under anesthesia, I saw this nurse's aid. I saw colorful specks in her eyes and asked if she would pose for a portrait. She came over and I showed her my studio in the basement. Turns out the specks were not in her eyes but that she had freckles, a bonus for me who find freckles in a girl an extra special treat. (By the way, painting freckles is not easy.) She came on to me and I quickly got her outside to take photos that I used for reference for this painting. She was only 20. I was 37. And I was, and am, happily married. The painting was finished in six weeks and I walked the 5-mile round trip to the hospital and left the painting with the nurses on duty. I never saw the girl again. My wife saw her a couple of years later at the liquor store. Said the girl looked dissipated. Therefore, I conclude that being moral can sometimes result in my being a heart-breaker. I say this truly in all humility.