Brooke and Marion:
Thanks for your comments on my paintings. They are my therapy and I am inspired by the comments of the people who enjoy looking at them. They are also a part of my testament which I am leaving with my descendants. I have not sold many and I think that it is due to the high prices I place on them so that I can retain them. I think that I am doomed to be like so many other artists who only became famous after they died.
I do want to alert you to one thing. I have done a portrait of a Mohawk girl, Kateri Tekakwitha, who died on April 17, 1680 and who is now Blessed and on her way to canonization in the Catholic Church. It is the first portrait I ever painted and I did it as a gift to her for saving my life while suffering with an incurable disease. It is a long story, but my classmate at Fordham University, Tom Fleming, who has written over 40 books and is one of the leading historians in this country, has written an article about Kateri and me for GUIDEPOSTS magazine. The final draft has gone to the Editor and we are waiting to hear from him. This magazine has a circulation of 6 million and is available by subscription only. I am sure that libraries carry it.
It is hoped that it will be published soon and then many more millions will know about Kateri and her inspiring, short life, since she died at the age of 24. We also hope that this publicity will help in bringing about her canonization.
I will now try to attach a photo of her portrait. Those of you who have gone on my web-site have seen it already.
Joe
