The Article

I found this article in a newspaper I found in the trash. It still looked brand new, I can't believe someone threw it away! Anyway, it's all about me and my art show! This is the ultimate adventure!






HOMELESS ARTIST TO DEBUT ART IN CENTRAL PARK
By: Rufus Milligan
May 5, 2000

Rose Mary Walls of West Virginia will be debuting her unique artwork for the first time next week. Walls has been all over the United States living in poverty and, at times, homeless to find inspiration for her pieces. "It was an adventure," she said at a press conference last night. Walls is a mother of four and explains that she has simply been waiting for the perfect moment to show off her talent. After all four of the Walls children moved to New York City to continue their education, Rex and Rose Mary Walls followed. "Rex and I wanted to be a family again," she explains when asked what prompted her to follow her children to New York City. However, the journey from West Virginia was cut short before the couple arrived at their oldest daughter's home. In what was the largest traffic jam in almost five years, the Walls' decrepit van broke down in the middle lane of I-9 and was impounded due to its registration status. Walls managed to save a great deal of her art work before the van was no longer accessible.

In honor of the recent discovery of Walls while selling her art as a sidewalk vendor, an art gallery is funding an outdoor showing of Walls' work. "She has a unique style that needs to be shown to the world," Hugh Grant, the curator of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Modern and Contemporary Art Department said. "It's about time someone recognizes that I am a true artist," Walls says with a grin. According to Grant, he discovered Walls and her artwork while he was walking to the museum. "I know good work when I see it. I offered her a showing on the spot,"Grant explains, "but she refused to do it in the museum. We came to a compromise with Central Park, a place Mrs. Walls feels more people will have the opportunity to view her pieces." 

The show will be held May 15, 2000 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For more information about this show and others held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, contact Hugh Grant at (212) 555-9987.


~RMW

A Letter to My Daughter Jeannette

Dear Jeannette,

Life is improving and you're growing up. It won't be long before you learn that things between your father and I aren't exactly as they seem. You see us at our worst a lot, but there is so much that you don't know. When I was younger and was living with your Grandma, things were terrible for me. You know I don't like strict rules or conforming to ideals. While living in Grandma's house, that's all there was; rules, rules, rules. Rex saved me from that terrible time. It wasn't love at first sight for me, but it was for him. When I did fall in love, I fell hard and fast. Even with your father's faults, I love him more than anyone.

When Lori was born, your father and I agreed that we would continue to pursue our dreams and not let parenting change us. I, personally, think doing that did more for you kids than babying you would have. I'm an artist and wife, then a mother. It's always been that way for me. Your father's dreams were a little bit more precarious. I always believed in him, even when he gave up on himself. He is an excellent father and husband. We both wanted to help you kids understand your place in this world and I believe we did that. We had fun traveling and having new experiences, didn't we?

It's time for me to work on my painting again. I hope this letter helped you understand a little bit more about your father and I.

With love,

Mom

The Big Blowout

Rex and I have been fighting for days now. Jeannette broke the unspoken rules and it made me have to confront Rex. Why couldn't she just keep her big mouth closed? Everything was just fine and dandy. Now Rex is storming around here yelling at me to work. Why on Earth should I have to do that when he's perfectly capable of providing for us? If he'd get off his high horse and stop acting like a loon, everything would be fine. Oh for Pete's sake, here he comes again....

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

That sorry SOB tried to kill me! He was going to throw me right out the window along with everything that's important to me! It's all because of those blankety-blank kids and their ridiculous needs. Why do they have to be so needy? I thought I taught them better than that! Now I have to go find myself a job to shut Rex up. How will I possibly be able to work on my painting if I'm working all day? I'M AN ARTIST for Pete's sake! Maybe I'll just get myself fired after a few months just like Rex, see how he likes it.

The Unspoken Truth

It's happening again, Rex has lost his job and we have no food. I try to keep a happy face for the kids, but I don't know if I can do it this time. Rex swears he's going to invent something great this time. I just don't know if I can believe him anymore. Maybe I should start from the beginning and all this will make more sense. I've never done this before, put my thoughts and feelings down. It's so much easier to forget it all and pretend it's not happening if none of us say anything....

Being married to Rex started off like a grand adventure. We were going to make it big and live the good life. I believed it could happen, too; until Lori was born. I knew life was going to change when she came into our lives, but Rex was as gungho as ever. He loves being a father, he's always been a big kid at heart. When I stopped teaching to stay home with Lori, I wasn't sure where life was going to take us. I never expected to be where we are now, that's for sure! Things didn't really go downhill until we lost Mary Charlene. Rex changed and I don't think he's ever gotten over it. Now he's obsessed with finding gold and coming up with the next "big thing." If only he could just keep a job.

Thanks to me, my kids are becoming self-sufficient. They've cooked for themselves from an early age and can take care of themselves. It works out great for me; I can get all these images out of my head and onto a canvas. The other mothers don't think I pay enough attention to the kids, but if I baby them all the time, how will they learn? These kids are resilient little buggers... they never complain.

I've tired of this. Writing doesn't give me nearly the satisfaction my painting does. This idea isn't letting me think clearly anyway. Maybe I'll try this again later.

~RMW