A Painting at the Gallery Looked Exactly Like My Daughter – But When I Met the Artist, I Couldn’t Believe My Eyes

This was not a girl who looked like my child.

This was Lily.

Beneath the painting was a small brass plaque.

Self-Portrait: Nova, 15.

“No,” I whispered. “No way.”

Tracy reached my side. “Tanya.”

I turned to the woman with the clipboard.

“Who painted this?”

She blinked, startled. “Ma’am?”

“Who painted my daughter?”

Her face shifted. “This is a student exhibition.”

“My daughter died three years ago,” I said, loud enough for nearby people to turn. “That is her face. That is her birthmark. Why does that plaque say self-portrait?”