Ilze Berzins

Too big for the living room this painting has been stored in the basement for years. I remember vividly how much I enjoyed painting this--just a large piece of masonite propped up on a table in a tiny kitchen which I tackled with gusto (the painting not the kitchen--which was a disaster and almost prompted a divorce). Still, I loved every minute of the process, so unlike the struggles other paintings involved. It always amused me when people couldn't initially see the sleeping mermaid. I painted her from a sketch I had made in Paris many years ago.