"Some were born in Wyoming and some in Nebraska and when we got to South Dakota, more were born . . ."

Even in the early to mid 1900's a family of 17 children was a bit unusual. At the 1954 family reunion, the Speeses were able to gather all but one surviving sibling in the same place at the same time. This composite image is one way to show all family members. Only one, who died in infancy and for whom there are no photos, is not shown in this piece. Two of the original 17 are still with us, now in their 70's they both live in Kansas City.

A FAMILY TREE

Your visual family story can be displayed alone or with related images to create a striking point of interest in any room.

PUZZLE PIECES

A friend asked if I would create a piece for her showing her mother and her many grandchildren. Laying out all the photos was a challenge but as we talked, I learned that the family had regularly played games and her mother dearly loved puzzles. This piece shows how that love of puzzles solved my problem. Taking the time to hear the story behind each item is the key to the final image.

REMEMBERING

I was listening to Public Radio early this morning as they commemorated this 40th anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King. It seemed appropriate to post the image (in the sidebar) which was created 20 years ago for the Martin Luther King Center for Non-Violence. The plate was produced in limited numbers and I don't think it is available any longer. I remember looking for text to include in the pastel drawing, I didn't realize until some time after the work was completed that the text was from his last speech. Mankind lost a brilliant lamp and a shining star. May we all continue the search for peace and unity.