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Painting at a Memorial: Lewis Ellenhorn

"Life without music would be sterile and incomplete.  I do not mean soley music as a defined art or performance.  I am referring to the music which is constantly there as we interact with one another and as we persue our tasks.  There is between us at all times an experiencing one another across musical directions.  We have a song for everyone we meet, one that may be characteristically ours but with variations for almost every interaction which takes place."  --Lewis Ellenhorn 

Every moment is beautiful and fleeting.  There is no avoiding grief.  Painting is one of the ways that I can face grief head on.  

Lew Ellenhorn was a role model for me.  He was a close family friend and psychologist who also a dedicated clarinetist who played both jazz and classical music.  He was an emeritus professor of psychology at Pitzer College.  Lew was a professional improviser who loved relationships on all levels.   

So while I would have preferred to celebrate my birthday with Lew when he was alive, it was quite an honor and a deep pleasure to be invited to paint (on my birthday) at his memorial. I started the painting when the memorial began and finished it when it ended.  I cried and laughed as my brush found the rhythm and color while listening to his colleagues, dear friends, his children and grandchildren describe their relationships with Lew.

In addition to painting at weddings, inaugurations and TedX conferences, I now paint at memorials.  Let me know if you want my reflection, the movement of my brush at any of your life happenings.  

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