I grew up in a dark corner booth upholstered in red leather. It was the booth closest to the kitchen, water station, and grill. It seated six, but we could squeeze in eight, and it’s a good thing since there were six kids in my family. My parents owned ‘the restaurant’ as we called it, and in the early years of Hatton’s of Hollywood, one might find the whole family tightly packed into that booth, after the lunch hour and before dinner. But as the years flew by and my older sisters became teens, all that changed. My father worked nights, and my mother started working during the day. My parents rarely saw each other. I suspect that’s how their marriage lasted over sixty years.~ Excerpt, “Hatton’s of Hollywood”
The above is from a chapter in a memoir I have written, The Olive Branch and the Fig Tree. It’s about my childhood, but mostly about my siblings, especially the three oldest. My father was fascinated with the entertainment industry, so he created a trio from my three older sisters, Janette, Dolores, and Barbara. He called them the Hatton Sisters, of course. He listed all six of his children with Central Casting. We were extras in many a movie, some classics.
I was born in Ohio, but we moved to Southern California when I was six months old. I grew up in Westwood, in an art deco house on Glenroy Avenue, as well as in the corner booth of Hatton’s. My parents worked day and night and eventually had all their six children work at Hatton’s as well. “Garlic, olive oil, lemon, and Hatton’s of Hollywood were the mothers of us all.”
Fortunately, my parents also saw to it that we attended good schools. We went to University High, and then most of my siblings went to UCLA. It was around the corner. I, however, left for UC Berkeley, where I unknowingly grew roots in the cool Northern California soil. I returned to LA for a while after college and worked in a computer company, even though I majored in History and minored in Art. I lived in Sacramento before moving to the Bay Area. I now live in Marin County and part-time in Sonoma County.
I have drawn and painted for as long as I can remember. I vividly recall sitting alone as a young teen, in our downstairs bedroom, gripping a chewed pencil as I drew a self-portrait and tried to capture my hair falling toward the little hand mirror on my lap. I even won a fire prevention medal in Jr. High for painting a poster of a devastated forest with the caption, “Did you do this?” I’ve thought of that poster more times than I like, given the frightening fires we’ve experienced recently in California.
I seem compelled to write and make art as a form of expression and an unconscious attempt to find peace. When I realized my Master’s in Fine Arts might not get me a day job, I returned to school and took a second Master’s in Art Therapy. I was able to use art as a way to work with the young, the elderly, and everything in between. But now I know the things I like best are the quiet of nature, diamond glints on sunlit water, fresh air after rain, drawing or painting the model, and the solitude of my studio.
I have published some of my poetry and short prose, paired with some of my art, in a book called Dreaming Wide Awake. It is available online from all major booksellers, or you can contact me for an Author’s Copy.
Please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I do enjoy connecting with people. Prices for giclees and greeting cards are listed. Prices and information about original art upon request.
Visit on Instagram