A Painting for the Park

After Prince left this earth, I could not bring myself to pick up my paint brushes. Three weeks later, my 8-year old granddaughter insisted I needed to paint him because it would make me happy...and it did, or at least it helped me to cope.

In July I found myself on a spur-of-the-moment, 1,800-mile journey with a complete stranger (Christina Harris) that I had met through a Prince FB group. Our plan was to see "all things Prince" while in Minnesota. I took my painting with me but I just couldn't bring myself to leave it so I made a copy, stuck it in a plastic zip bag and hooked it to the fence at Paisley Park.

In the next couple of weeks, the image of my painting was used by CBS Minnesota news twice, which was really exciting for me.

On October 6, Paisley Park opened as a museum, and that very day I started receiving phone calls and messages that my print had made it INSIDE Paisley Park on the "fence" along with other fan's momentos.

I am still in shock over the loss of Prince, but I am so grateful that a part of me is there, with him, at Paisley Park.

Lori Kay Blake-Leighton
Ferndale, Washington