Hello Kenney-
Hope this e-mail finds you healthy and happy! I purchased "Coffee and Clutch" a few years back, and love this piece, as do all my friends and family that have seen it hanging in my home. My Mother and Father-in-Law, Forrest, had come for a visit back in Feb. 2010. Forrest had taken ill only a few days into their visit, long story short, we ended up caring for him with around the clock care in our home. It was your painting that got him up and walking again!
Forrest is a true collector of art and he just fell in love with "Coffee and Clutch", from the moment he saw it.
During his rehab in our home I had moved the painting so it was the first thing he could see in the morning and the last thing he would look at before he slept. Forrest's rehab went from keeping him alive to getting him up in a wheelchair to walking with a walker and then to a cane. During his rehab he was a bit resistant to say the least to his physical therapy and all that goes with learning to walk again.
Once he was up and going with the walker he resisted the cane, however the only way we would let the folks go home and re-enter into independent living was if Forrest could walk on his own. I told Forrest at one point, "If you walk again, the painting is yours", soon after it seemed to be his goal, to walk without any assistance! January 2011, my In-Laws hoped into the car and drove themselves home and are now living independently.
I spoke with Forrest last week, and said where will you be hanging the painting?, thinking perhaps he'll say no I can't take this from you. Oh no he said "Oh I'll move all the art to make room"!
I am so happy for his recovering and proud to give him the painting, and I know he'll love this piece forever, it marks an important time in his life, that even in his 80's you can recoup and enjoy good health.
As an artist we sometimes can forget the effect our work have on those that fall in love with our paintings. And I send you this story to let you know the how deeply your work has moved my family.
Hello to Valerie, and take care Mr. Mencher you are the best of the best!
Joyce Faulknor
What a wonderful story! That was so kind of Joyce to tell you about the power of your art.
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