Our Memory Game

When I was little, I loved staying at my grandma and grandpa’s house. They lived on a little farm, and I would have lived outside if my parents would let me. However, on the occasional rainy day or after I had already taken my shower, movies and board games had to suffice. As the youngest of all the grandkids, I pretty much never won any of the games… unless it was memory match. Therefore, memory match became my favorite game, and we played it often. My grandpa would make up little catchphrases for some of the cards. I would always catch him flipping over the card with the little black and white squirrel and saying, “Oh! There’s Pepé! Pepé Le Pew!”

When I found the exact version of the memory game my grandparents have in a thrift store, I knew I had to get it and incorporate it into a painting. I even tricked my grandpa into building this handy little table contraption with me in his barn. When we finished building it, he said, 'And what are you gonna paint in here? A picture of me?' I said, 'Maybe I will,' knowing he would not like that. He responded, “No, you better not. You know better’n that!”

… sorry, Grandpa.

Oil on wood (2024)