Where you in Florence in 1991?

 

a watercolor from twenty-three years ago!

painted on site at Boboli gardens on cold pressed Arches paper.

Saturday I received an email:

Dear Ms. Brooksby;

Just curious, but were you in Florence Italy in June of 91 and were you painting watercolors next to the Uffezi Gallery? Not sure, but I believe I may have purchased a painting from you. I was there during the International AIDS Conference with Jim (Lastname), who, if I have the right Brooksby, is your cousin. The watercolor below is the painting in question, but the signature doesn't match anything I've seen in your more recent work. If I'm all wet about this, I apologize for inconveniencing you.

Sincerely,

Owen Weislow

Damn right that's mine!   Here is my respone:

Hi Owen,

Yes that is my watercolour, quite a collectors item.  That one I am 100% positive I painted on site from the Boboli garden.  Cool, thanks for emailing.  Can I put your message on my blog?  I'll remove all names.

Thank you Owen Weislow for sending this to me, and thank you for allowing me to post this on my blog.  But Jim Lastname is not my cousin, a great friend.

 I've often changed my signature.  Many of the early watercolors I painted in Florence are signed "Beliza" B for my last initial and Eliza for part of my middle name.  This one is one of the very first when I'd began painting and rode my Vespa into the Florentine hills with my easel strapped behind. 

I've always advocated artists using archival material.  Definitely worth if hearing from a happy client  a quarter of a century later.