“Illustration from the book The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote” by Beth Peck
oil on linen, 16"x20” 

Beth Peck graduated Rhode Island School of Design and afterward took an evening illustration class at School of Visual Arts in NYC. There, the teacher, Robert Shore, introduced The Grass Harp by Truman Capote. Ten years later, she made a proposal to illustrate A Christmas Memory and The Thanksgiving Visitor.

“This illustration is from The Thanksgiving Visitor written by Truman Capote. I think this is a terrific story. Beautifully written and crafted. There is an emotional twist to the story which resonates with me. It is a little painful, and very human, and feel true to the human experience. I think of the smaller blonde boy in the story as Truman Capote as a boy, but here he is called Buddy. Odd Henderson is the redheaded boy that picks on Buddy and bullies him. In this scene, at the Thanksgiving table, Buddy accuses Odd of stealing. Not to give away the entire story and its intricacies, but in Odd’s admission of his guilt, he becomes the gentleman, the better man, the better-behaved person. And Buddy becomes the less well-behaved human. I just feel that this is a universal experience we have all been through, and even now my heart pounds with the familiar betrayal of the turn-around.” – The Artist