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Art piece from 1978 sparks friendship between two women from Baton Rouge
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BATON ROUGE - Two elderly women from opposite sides of the Mississippi River were led to one another from a decades-old painting.
Ruby Morrow, 86, lives in Scotlandville and collects art work as a hobby. One day, while arranging her massive collection, one particular piece caught her eye.
Morrow said she inspected the painting and noticed it was signed at the bottom by a woman named Ruth and dated 1978. On the back were Ruth's address and telephone number.
Intrigued, Morrow picked up the phone and dialed the number on the painting. The original artist, Ruth Gascon, picked up.
Now, Gascon is 98 years old and living in Port Allen. At first, she said she did not believe Morrow had one of her paintings until she described the signature.
"I didn't know why she had it or where she had gotten it. She told me she bought it somewhere," Gascon said.
Gascon began painting at the age of 34 after taking classes with her sister. Over the years, her paintings have been spread out all over the world.
"I did paintings in every country in Europe, and when I did the paintings in Europe, I left them there with the people that we visited," Gascon said.
With every brush stroke, Gascon has captured vivid memories of her wedding, parents' home, family tree and so much more. The painting that made it to Morrow's home in Scotlandville was of a stream in Tennessee.
"I went to Gatlinburg for 25 years every summer with my family," Gascon said.
The two women began chatting over the phone regularly and realized they had many things in common. For instance, they both drank black coffee, both have daughters who painted, and both love to enjoy art.
On Friday, Morrow and Gascon met in person for the first time, embracing each other as if they'd been friends for a lifetime. Bonded through art, their friendship continues to blossom into a timeless portrait.
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