Portrait circa 1991

A few weeks ago, my dad's wife hosted an Xmas family dinner. Which is to say: fifteen adults & children/food/gifts. Which is to say, wrapping paper/parking the car/snow.

I sat with the girl and her cousins while we ate. My niece Kaya was talking about her artwork and mentioned her art teacher at College Jeanne Sauve, madame LaRochelle.

"Lise LaRochelle?" I asked. "She was my art teacher when I was at CJS too!"

I graduated in 1991, so the two generations of my family have caught Mme LaRochelle at the beginning/end of her career. Thinking back, she must have been in her early twenties, freshly graduated from uni, when she started at CJS...and so was only a few years older than me back in 1991.

Anyways, I didn't think much of it, until the next family Xmas dinner, this one including my mum, when my sister sidled up and handed me a red envelope.

I don't have much use for greeting cards, so I wasn't expecting much from its contents.

And then this little painting dropped into my hand. It's of me, from the summer of 1991 when I was in grade 12.

Kaya had apparently mentioned to her teacher who I was...and Mme LaRochelle brought this in and asked her to pass it along.

I don't remember Mme LaRochelle sketching me and I don't remember if I was sitting in the field behind the school or if this was from a school trip.

But it was probably the best gift I got for Xmas, besides the pair of gift cards for David's Tea. (I can get whatever tea I waaaaaaant...)