Mr Kuerner Remembers

Mr. Kuerner loved to reminisce. As he sat for the portraits I did of him, I was given an extensive oral history of the characters that filled Chadds Ford lore. He loved to talk about Andy, N.C., Caroline the farm, the work, his son, his father, Helga, the train crash, all of the German Prisoners who came to work the farm during the war and all the rest. I somehow went from sitting in my gallery on Maui flipping through the pages of "Wyeth at Kuerner's", haunted by my own spooky connection to the images before me - to being Mr. Kuerner's confidant with a welcome pass to wander their farm painting whenever I could find my way there. I was now a friend of the family. With the exception of our home and gallery on Maui, I spent more time on Kuerner's farm than any other single place I can think of.

It was my Sandy who encouraged me to go. She saw my fascination and told me I needed to go. She sent me back there to paint and reconnect again and again.

"Mr. Kuerner Remembers" was done from a few photos we took outside his home across Ring road from the Kuerner family farm where he spent his life working. In this painting I can hear him remembering with a childlike giddiness the secret life of Andy and Helga. That, I'd have to say, seemed to be one of his favorite topics

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