Memory Eternal
- Mar 13, 2017
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 7
This gilded mirror once hung above the buffet of the dining room in my grandmother's house. It was a small room full of dark wood, crystal, and cigarette smoke. Fantastic feasts were also enjoyed in that space. All day, she cooked delights from the old country, and the many would gather to enjoy her offerings. My favorite was avgolemono soup, a simple dish; and she always made it extra lemony for her granddaughters.
After she passed away in 2006, the contents of her little house went into the basement of the business that she once owned before she gave it to her sons: The Albany Restaurant. The basement over time had become a collection of artifacts and remains of former lives. The "furniture graveyard" consisted of two deaths, one divorce, and one remarriage. For many years these objects sat undisturbed, until one winter's day, the mirror above the buffet was rediscovered.
The Albany was undergoing a refresh. Over the many decades of operation, the restaurant had acquired an abundance of authentic and vintage items that were going to be reincorporated into the decor. My grandmother's mirror was going to replace a buzzing beer neon that was to be retired.
It was my first time painting a mirror. It is a bit different than clear glass because the reflection makes it difficult to see if your line work it correct. The red rose is symbolic for my grandmother, because she loved to grow roses. The dice are symbolic for my grandfather, who was a bit of a gambler. The number on the dice show 17, the year the mirror was completed (2017). The tootsie roll with wings is a joke that my uncle insisted upon, because it was her favorite candy.
We coincidentally revealed the mirror to the public on her birthday: January 16th, 2017. That day, a man who was dining for lunch, showed us an old photograph he had with him: it was a picture of my grandmother when she was young and newly arrived from the old country. We had never before seen this picture of her. What a fabulous synchronicity! We knew that she was sending us her approval. The mirror keeps the memory of my grandparents alive in our hearts and minds.
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