Bertha, I'd Like to Know Where You Got the Notion

That's the title given by Donna Castellanos to the portrait of her grandmother. It is currently on display at the National Portrait Gallery, juried into the Outwin American Portraiture Today exhibition. Look closely and you will see a potpourri of sewing tools and notions: buttons, zippers, measuring tapes, needles, snaps, hooks and eyes. Yes, those are two well-used tomato pin cushions. It's an appropriate homage to a woman who worked in a factory, sewing in zippers. As my friends and I delighted in discovering each detail, one of the guards stepped closer, listening to our enthusiastic commentary. "It’s my favorite too." he shared. High praise from a person who has had day after day to carefully study each artwork.