We Were Lucky

 Jill Jeannides (1975 - 2021)
90/94 South, Chicago 

oil on canvas, date unknown
Something magical happened tonight.

An image emerged from the ether that stopped my heart. A beautiful, timeless moment swept me away on a powerful wave.

We were blazing down the highway with the windows down and the heat up. Yelling over the music with the cold wind whipping our hair around.

We were lucky enough to be there together.

It seems impossible that I have never seen this painting by my dear friend, Jill until tonight. It's a portrait of our friendship in so many ways. In this time of grief, I feel like she sent it to me.

At left, a shot of us in LA in 2004, right after she moved from Chicago, on a rare night when we did brush our hair. This night we went to a screening of her movie "Vienna Beef" at a film festival and then rocked the after party in a flurry of self promotion.

Her legacy and work are celebrated here - jilljeannidesart.com