Married

A soul could be captured
through a shadow. ...
Gil had placed his foot
on Irene's shadow
when he painted her.

And though she tried
to pull away, it was
impossible to tug
that skein of darkness
from under his heel.

— Louise Erdrich, "Shadow Tag"

Frida (my 100th posting)

"I think an artist has to tell the truth,"
she said finally.

"You have to use the craft very well
and have a lot of discipline for it,

but mostly to be a good artist
you have to know something
that's true.

These kids who come to Diego
wanting to learn, I'll tell you.
They can paint a perfect tree,
a perfect face, whatever you ask.

But they don't know enough
about life to fill a thimble.

And that's what has to go in the painting.
Otherwise, why look at it?"

— Barbara Kingsolver, "The Lacuna"