Audrey Mae Spencer

Audrey: The painting of the blue teapot and the pink rose.  Elise Gardner was the teacher when I painted the teapot and pink rose (watercolor).  She kept one picture of every artist that she had as a student.  She would have Exhibitions of Elise Gardner’s Student Artists.  She asked me if she could keep my drawing of a calf.  Of course, I said yes.

I had drawn a calf from the farm. I remember my father was standing there. The calf was sleeping, a little calf, all curled up and sleeps.  She liked my calf because it was different.  It was different because as a farmer then there were no artists.  Everybody (students at RISD) was from Providence. There were no farmers there.  They were all from Providence.  The little calf was just lying there. Grandpa was there looking at the calf.

Audrey: I’m just looking at my book that you made for me.

(Explanation: Book refers to a WilsonJones Catalog Rack used to display 11″ by 8″ copies of Mother’s art, writing, history, etc. There were over a hundred different copies of Audrey Mae’s work.)

Audrey: Oh dear, I’m having such a good time!  Everything I like is here for me. Never a dull moment here.  I love this chair (companion chair, a light weight transit wheelchair with four small wheels).

Audrey: No, I just drew the calf, but I remember Grandpa just standing there looking at the little calf.  I wonder what has become of Miss Gardner’s exhibitions (that had) the work of all her students. Of course, she is dead now as she was older when I was a student.

Audrey: Theo, she’s so cute. She’s a talker. I’m not a talker. I like to associate with her, so I don’t have to do much talking.

Audrey: I’m trying to learn Desiderata. It is not easy.

Audrey: I look at these things and read them over and over. Crossing the Bar seems simple and clear versus Desiderata has a deep meaning.

You forget. Seems so I didn’t do too much, but when I get someone like you to put it all together. My head. Seems a lot.

(Explanation: Refers to looking at the Artistic Display Stand [WilsonJones Catalog Rack] of all her work.)

Audrey Mae in Colonial Dress (DAR) with her beloved dog, Honey

Audrey: A picture of Honey (the poodle). Honey was so intelligent. She felt the world of me and she would sit next to me and she was a part of me. If you love your animals, they are a part of you.

(Honey was Pat and Vaughn’s dog until they left her with Mother to dog-sit and Mother fell in love with Honey. Pat and Vaughn didn’t have the heart to take her back away from Mother, so they “lost” their dog to a new owner.  The family is especially grateful to Pat for letting her dog go and giving Mother and Dad many happy years with Honey, a wonderful dog.)

Audrey: I’m sitting in my little chair (light weight transit wheelchair with four small wheels). I go everywhere. I play Bingo. I go to sewing, but it is not sewing. They should say bring your hammer and saw. We work on little pieces of wood and they call it sewing. (laughter) I feel very good. I’m doing so much. We play cards. It’s like Bridge. We are always playing something like Bingo.  Jean, Margie’s daughter, is back so she gets card games going.