"Genie", as she is signed, came into our home after being found at another estate sale. The elderly woman was moving into an assisted living facility and her family was helping her sell some of the contents of her home. There were a few things not for sale, one of them being this painting. It was hanging in her dining room, and just instantly captivated me. I love original art, and besides it being very Spanish looking, and I fell in love with the colors, the detail of the oil in the flowers and in her hair. And I loved that the frame was different and original too. I kept going back to it, despite all the other treasures for sale.
After speaking with the niece of the elderly woman, she offered to sell it to me for $35. Even though my husband was not in love with it, he knew I wasn't leaving without her! I paid the niece and went to tell the elderly woman how much she will be loved and cherished in my home. After I thank her for the painting, she told me that it was a self portrait painted in Puerto Rico in 1967, and it was the first painting she ever painted in her life. As I discovered later, it is inscribed with the place (Puerto Rico) and the date, and her full name Genevieve on the back of the frame. "Genie" has come home to live in our living room, and I only hope that Genevieve knows truly in my heart how much I will cherish her first painting, and her story. Vintage finds don't get much better than that!
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