When I Paint My Masterpiece

WHEN I PAINT MY MASTERPIECE follows the interconnecting lives of numerous characters in a rural California town during the 1920s. At the heart of it all is old Willie Bridger, the patriarchal astronomer and artist building a crude planetarium - expected to be his magnum opus - for his many friends to enjoy. Meanwhile, his granddaughter Doc, famously footloose and awkward, begins an unexpected and empowering friendship with a new arrival in town. July, a lonely bootlegger and speakeasy proprietor, longs for the return of his old love Mélanie whilst fearing the wrath of the Prohibition Unit. Hampstead, a confident ten-year-old with a love for classic literature, investigates a shady establishment on the outskirts of town, but is made distracted by his peculiar feelings for Doc. And Hampstead is employed part-time by the senator''s daughter Bitsy, who pays him with candy as she struggles to find some kind of political purpose despite that she is already well-liked and respected.

Willie''s final project comes at a time when he is entering into old age, creating problems for these other characters who rely on him and depend on the security that he provides.

The story encompasses themes such as romance, unrequited love, racism, class struggle, coming of age and change. It is inspired by the works of John Steinbeck, Carson McCullers and Larry McMurtry.