At my confirmation with my maternal grandmother https://ozolscollection.org/who-was-marie-cornelievan-dorp-laan-happy-birthday-to-this-first-supporter-of-noafa-wildflower-gardener-lecturer-and-native-plant-activist-extraordinaire/and father https://ozolscollection.org/about-auseklis-ozols/, 1980’s, New Orleans . Photo source unknown.
It is so interesting how life changes. Here I am, while I was living with my maternal grandmother , pictured in this photo. She and my late mother were a members of this church. After my mother died when I was seven years old, my father painted a portrait of the minister, Dr. Kenneth Phifer. He was such a kind man. He came to our house on Dufossat St. to pose for the portrait. He would sit in the front room, my father’s art studio at that time, and while my father painted him they would talk. The portrait is currently in the collection of the church.
This day was my confirmation into the church I currently attend, and which my children also attend. The photo of my father, maternal grandmother, and me was taken sometime in the mid 1980’s probably by a church documentarian although I am not sure. I was also married in this church, my parents were married there, my mother’s funeral was held there, and my children have been attending since they were three years old after we moved back to New Orleans after living abroad & a difficult international divorce. My children will be 4th generation members here.
Balancing life growing up with an artist father, a very precisely appropriate maternal family, and keeping up appearances between the alternating points of view was challenging. These two pictures demonstrate the challenges of trying to balance life growing up in an artist’s studio with the strict European manners that accompany a maternal family whose ancestry is documented back to the 12th century.
In my father’s studio after my mother died from gun violence. https://www.saskiaozols.com/2022/07/31/art-as-life/
My Grandmother coordinated riding lessons for me-from the time my mother died throughout the seven years I lived with her. A photo I just found of one of my lessons.
I come from a long history of horse enthusiasts, including my late mother, all of my maternal grandparents and continuation of the sport throughout our ancestry. I was very fortunate to have my grandmother attend most lessons or have another dutch family bring me and attend to make sure I did everything properly.
My Latvian Father’s family also took great pride in riding. There is much to say about them also -however my Latvian Grandfather’s memoirs need to be transcribed in to English. He was fluent (as was necessary at the time in which he lived) in Latvian, Russian, and German.
https://ozolscollection.org/about-auseklis-ozols/At an early event at The New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts’ New location after the partnership was made between my father, Auseklis Ozols, and his former student, Dorothy Jurisich Coleman https://ozolscollection.org/to-the-rescue/with my two sisters: Aija and Indra Ozols, along with our maternal Grandmother Miek Laan, and my father Auseklis Ozols. https://ozolscollection.org/about-auseklis-ozols/
