The Chair, Oils on Canvas, 24x18, is a painting completed using many layers of glazes, especially in the rich background areas. Right after Hurricane Katrina, my husband lost a battle with infection in his foot. The doctors encouraged him to let them take the leg off just above the knee, which is what happened. Two weeks later, he was well and back to work, first of the year. I also lost my beloved art classes, so had to go to University of South Alabama, an hour's drive east to Mobile, Alabama, where I could take oil painting classes. I wanted to paint some arbitrary chair, and my teacher encouraged me to photo and paint Tom's wheelchair instead. Although I did so reluctantly, the lesson was to paint things with some depth of meaning, thereby painting through difficult life processes. The chair is intentionally not symetrical, recalling Tom's reality now, with asymetrical legs. The paiting recalls aspects of very trying times for my husband, and is a symbol of ability rather than his new disability.