The Face that everyone loved

Portrait of Lady Lavery painting, by Sir John Lavery

Lady Hazel Lavery, wife of renouned Irish painter  Sir John Lavery was the subject of what some estimate to be in the region of 400 paintings by the artist.

Lady Lavery is the face on this currency note

Irish banknotes

After the Anglo-Irish treaty, the Irish free state government invited Lavery to create an image of a female figure who would personify Ireland . Such a personification links back to figures in ancient Irish mythology and has been illustrated in recent centuries by women such as James Clarence Mangan's Dark Rosaleen and W. B. Yeats Caitlin Ni Houlihan.
This personification of Ireland modelled on Lady Lavery and painted by her husband was reproduced on banknotes of the Republic of Ireland  from 1928 until the 1970s. It then appeared as a watermark on notes until the latter were replaced by the Euro in 2002.

The Harp (symbol of Ireland) and Lady Lavery , painted by Sir John Lavery

  <sup>The Music is "Dark Rosaleen"

Fond wishes from Ireland, where I am visiting family and exploring.</sup>

Time to a child at the Cottage

Ode to Emily, Assemblage by Rosemary Whyte

I awake to the cry of the loon at the cottage.  It is shortly after 7:00 a.m. and my plan is to pad downstairs and sketch before the household is awake.  I exit my room silently and hear a child's whisper from the adjoining room and I recognize it is E speaking in his hushed tone  "Hey Helen, I am in here, upper bunk, can you see me?" His dark mop of hair is visible above the either-down.  He tells me his parents have strict orders that he does not get up until 7.30.  I ask what time is it now and he looks at his little electric clock and says 7:11. He is impatient and restless and tells me of all his plans for the day and how he wishes his parents would allow him to just get up when he wants and how rules are stupid.  I tell him the minutes will go quickly and I will stay with him.  He asks if his sister in the lower bunk is awake, which by now she is.

He then asks me if I would like to see him jump from the upper bunk and before I could answer, the game is on

Before we know it, it is almost 7.30 and we head downstaiirs, teddy bears and dolls included and repair to the couch in the den.   "O" effortlessly puts her toe in her mouth and  becomes self conscious when I remark on how great this is and how I wish I could do it.  She replied  "Stop It, Helen; just Stop-It"

I don't remember who said this, but there really are places in the heart you don't even know exist until you love a child.