Lily Karas with Nancy Synnestvedt
I Should Vacuum 
Acrylic on canvas
36 x 48 x 3/4 inches
My Aunt, who is a Painter lives in New Zealand so any visits with her are precious. On this visit I was in a  big creative wave and painting a lot. I got to have the fun of working together with her on one of the 'dogs' (a family term with my Grandmother who was also a Painter, for paintings that were either in process or perhaps experiments that shouldn't see the light of day).  We made it better but it wasn't finished before she had to return home. I finished it after she left and honestly it changed so much that I bet she wouldn't recognize it anymore. Since it started as an experiment 'dog' this was the first painting that I used a wooden shim in place of a brush, an effect which I now love to play with. The rough edge of the wood pulled across the surface gives a lovely organic texture. I love this painting because I got to work on it with my beloved and talented Aunt.