I would like to give a special thanks to the renowned author Ross King.  Mr King, author of The Last Judgement of Paris, a seminal reference for me, has been kind enough to provide mentoring and consultation to me along the way.  The endless amount of research and passion that goes into his writing is only surpassed by his kindness and generosity as a person.

I cannot wait to start Mad Enchantment, his latest book on Monet.

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Thank you to Ron Cordover who opened doors to me that led to the meeting of Mr. King, George Shackelford (Kimball Museum), Gloria Groom (Art Institute Chicago) and others.

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A particular thanks to an author I do not know!  Beth Archer Brombert whose book, Rebel in a Frock Coat, was the first book I read on Manet and helped fan the flames for this project.

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Thanks to Craig Hankin, Victor Verhaeghe, David Sitler, Rudy Benda and others who have provided much needed feedback and input.

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On a personal note...thank you to Ewa, Natalie and Dante love you all.  Ewa, you challenge me on a daily basis with your spirit, intelligence and tenacity and thrill me on a daily basis with your beauty and charm.  Natalie, you are my reason for being and I do this all for you, I love you.  Your talent is sublime, your intelligence keen and your character sterling.  Dante, you're the most intelligent young man I have possibly ever met and your gifts as a writer and intellectual will usher you to success in whatever you do. 

 

Thanks to family: Shirley Kitchin, Kay and Chuck Basham, Daniel and Conly Self, Grandma Darling and extended family from Oregon to Louisiana and many places beyond.  Thanks to friends Cary, Curt and many others.  Thanks to all the lifelong friends I made in high school in Little Rock, Arkansas at Little Rock Catholic HS for Boys!  Johnny, Neil, Andrew, Steve, Scott and a host of others have helped make life special and meaningful. 

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This is dedicated to three men in my life: Jerry Lee Kitchin, Harvey McClung and Willard McClung.  Jerry Kitchin, my dad,  taught me many things, chief among them were how to laugh and how to aim high and work hard.  Harvey, my grandfather, taught me the meaning of family and love.   Uncle Willard, you taught me self respect, decency and showed me how to be a good man and live a good life.  I thank you all.

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