Lily of the valley

the long version

"Lily Wilk became an artist, whose work is always in demand around her town: she paints barns, houses, and fire hydrants; she letters diplomas, and "Gulls" and "Buoys" onto restaurant bathroom doors, she depicts a tiny romance story on the ten fake nails of a bride-to-be. But she also knows that someday she will paint something truly special, a work that will forever change everyone who sees it."--BOOK JACKET. "Her chance comes when Mary Ziemba, owner of the largest chain of supermarkets in the valley, commissions a family portrait. But instead of a sitting, Mary asks her to work from snapshots taken of her loved ones on the days they were the happiest. Lily takes in Mary's detailed stories of the people she loves most in the world, and as the faces and personalities come to life on her drawing board, Lily reflects on the recent fractures to the structure of her own family. And slowly, with each small and gentle brushstroke, she begins to change her own definition of what it means to be related. When the portrait is complete, it is indeed exhibited for the world to see - but at a time and in a place she never could have imagined."--BOOK JACKET.