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Living in unpredictable times with Covid 19 quarantines I felt compelled to paint this self-portrait with a family heirloom. The silver hand mirror belonged to my great grandmother. I remember as a child seeing it on top of my grandmother’s vanity. They lived through the 1918 influenza pandemic just as I am living through this Corona pandemic of 2020. As I gaze at my reflection in the same hand mirror, I wonder if my inner thoughts and feelings are similar to theirs when they lived through that terrible time. I wonder how many times they looked at their own reflections in that mirror noticing every new wrinkle and fading away of their former youthful glow. Their cakes of powdered rouge were applied generously in the hopes of reclaiming what was past. Here I am in 2020 applying blush on my cheeks just as they did.

Nancy Vachani

vachaniart@gmail.com