The Watsons

Acrylic on board, 30 x 30 cm, Private Collection

The Watsons were one of the families my Romanichal ancestors traveled with from as far back as at least the 1500s. Throughout many generations, there were frequent marriages between our families, and three others. They all traveled together. The first covered wagons the Romanichal used were traditional “bender tents”—canvas tents whose frame was made from bent hazel branches placed on a wagon. As people acquired wealth, they often upgraded to a vardo, a wooden wagon with an interior living space. Based on a family photo, this painting lives with one of the kindest people I know.