This painting, painted from life, is one of the first that I exhibited publicly. The broken doll was given to me by the young daughter of a friend of mine. From the strong public reactions to this painting I first realized the power that a "simple" painted image could evoke in the viewer. Local newspaper editorials described the painting as "modern" (like in Picasso's blue period!), "sick," and "morbid"; some writers demanded the removal of my painting from the Swain School of Design's Crapo Gallery - while others described the painting as "forceful," "haunting," and "expressive." For me the painting was simply the image of a child's damaged doll hanging from the light string in my kitchen/studio - given to me by the daughter of a woman I loved.

When Storms are Gone
( for Scatt )

Caroline (Collins)