Portraits of the South

Evangeline is a major legendary figure in Southern Louisiana depicted in H. W. Longfellow's epic poem, "Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie". Her story reflects the very real heartbreak of the Acadian people who were expelled from Canada in the late 1700s and fled to Louisiana. In the poem, she is separated from her true love during the journey and spends her life searching for him, never giving up the search even though many years pass. As an older woman, she nurses men dying during an epidemic and finally finds her long lost love moments before he dies in her arms. I was really moved by the story and created a painting that reflects how I envision she felt on the inside: vulnerable, filled with sorrow, isolated, but persevering.