When I first met my husband William Broyles, I gave him a monoprint: a pair of wings encircled by three rings. To me, this image symbolized our relationship: the two wings representing two beings and the three rings signifying mind, body, and spirit. He was just starting to write the script for the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks, and my monoprint inspired him to write an artist character into the movie.
Before the movie was filmed, the director, Robert Zemeckis reviewed the work of many other artists but was not satisfied. I decided to submit my artwork. I painted many FedEx boxes before I came up with an image that the director thought would work on screen.
The wings became the key image on a FedEx box that inspired the Tom Hanks character. He kept that box intact throughout his ordeal. The wings inspired him to build the sailboat that helped him escape—and the sails bore the image as well. The wings were also used as the basis for the monumental sculptures at the studio of the artist character in the movie. My husband and I went to see these works on the set in West Texas and I was thrilled to see my work transformed, Hollywood style.
   |
  |