Painted during the Vietnamese refugee crisis following the US pull-out from the war in Vietnam, this small canvas, Child of Vietnam, depicts an imagined child caught in the war. At the time my mother was facing a crisis of her own with having her dominant right hand immobilized after spraining her fingers and tearing a ligament in her wrist. After three weeks of no work and frustration, she decided to see if she could paint left-handed. She writes in her diary “Surprisingly found I had more control than I thought with left hand! Had no preconceived idea of what I want to paint on the small canvas – did a pair of eyes then a face – A child – then came idea – Vietnamese child – put burning town behind.”  She goes on to write “I even think it’s a success! Also paint quality better …, vivid fire and red / purple clouds give it impact and the fire reflections on her face and clothes make it all look more violent.” The painting hung in her gallery for many years and sparked a lot of conversations but nobody wanted to buy it, I think because it is just too raw.

Diary entries: