Color Light Life and Death

Cup for Edward By Marian Dioguardi C2008

I paint and I will die.  The fruit of my hands, the paintings will remain. Yet, my paintings will only be whispers and faint echoes of my life. The purpose of my paintings is not to speak of me but to speak for those who bought and  lived and shared my paintings with their guests and family in their homes.  They too will die someday and pass my paintings on into the future as their voice. This is what I now know from a loosing my dear friend Edward, fellow painter, this week. At 92 years of age, Edward lived a full life and died a good death. We laughed together the day before he died. 

Edward would only have two people's art in his home; the Hopper etchings and others' art long given away. And so Edward lived with my painting and his paintings. Edward was many things to many people. He was a grandfather. Perhaps because that reminded Edward that he was old or perhaps Edward really didn't know what to say to his grandchildren, they knew very little of him and his life. What they did know was that when they went to visit him my painting greeted them: Edward's Cup: a gesture of hospitality and hopeful anticipation but they left not knowing anymore of him than before. They would leave empty.  Now this painting is hanging in his granddaughter's home. She asked for it.  This painting now tells her about her grandfather Edward: he was a great and loyal friend, he loved art, he had always hoped to give her more and that he would want her to have this painting.