Girl with Flag

Today I am posting Carol Levin's story in her own words, the picture, however, couldn't be posted.

I will tell you a bit now and then send the picture on Sunday with the receipt from the art gallery. It's hard to believe that we paid around $200.00 for it. They gave us a 25% discount.
Well, here's the story. I'm just a suburban housewife from the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. There was the Paul Olson Gallery in Tarzana that I used to haunt because I loved the art that they sold.
We were just getting into buying a bit of art and I had become attracted to the work of this really flamboyant artist who seemed to be spending a great deal of time there acting as a kind of promoter for his own work. He was really friendly and loved to talk art......and, especially his art.
It was 1970 and Tony Mafia..... of course, I told him that he was kidding me with that name..... was very attractive with all of that hair and, of course, he really looked the part of the artist that he was.
One day I came in and zeroed in on this beautiful large painting of a young girl with jet black hair and a large American flag as hair ribbon in her hair like the rebellious hippies of the day. I was absolutely drawn to it with it's vivid colors but, the steep price of $300.00 was more than I could handle.
I would come in again and again sometimes visiting with Tony, who would open drawers and pull out drawings and paintings for my approval. He had a bit of an artist's ego and would admire his work along with me. " That's a damn sensitive drawing." he once said in reaction to something he was showing me.
I found him to be very intriguing but, never knew the colorful life that he had lead.
But, I always returned to the girl with the jet black hair, and it became my ritual to " visit my painting." or, the painting that I couldn't afford.
You may have noticed that my e-mail is aug241957@aol.com. That is my wedding anniversary and August 1970 was the year of my 13th anniversary. My husband Dave wanted to get me something special. Unbeknown to me, he ventured into the Paul Olson Gallery. Surrounded by all of the art work, he was at a loss as to what to buy. He only knew that I spent a great deal of time there.
He described me to Paul Olson who knew me and said that I came in all of the time. Dave wanted to know which paintings I admired.
When he came home with this large completely wrapped picture my heart sunk. I was so upset. How could he have bought a piece of art without my input? Was I going to be cursed with some hideous picture hanging on our wall from now until doomsday? I tried to look happy and when I unwrapped it and saw that the girl with the jet black hair was finally to be mine I was simply overcome.
She has been gazing down upon us these many years and as this is to be our 50th anniversary on August 24th of this year, it just might be time to let her go. Thank you Annmarie for starting this blog. What a great idea. It is very interesting. I never imagined that Tony lived the life that he had.