Smilie-Monkey was born in Redding, California, on a public transit bus. Her mother was a crack addict -- “a beautiful social butterfly who had one-night stands with rotten men.”
Smilie-Monkey never lived at a permanent address or attended any school for longer than six months; however, she recently got her GED. She and her mother supported themselves by panhandling. Her mother died from brain damage suffered after being hit by a truck, but the doctors said it was likely all the drugs that killed her.
Smilie-Monkey met her father for the first time just a week before this portrait was painted. Until then she only knew that he was in and out of jail for being a “mean drunk and a drug addict.” Upon meeting, he hit her in the head and kicked her out of his house. Though her hopes for a relationship were dashed, ☺ Monkey says that somehow this encounter made her feel better because now a lot of things in her life “make more sense.”
Smilie-Monkey, whose street name describes her general demeanor, tried to put a positive spin on these misfortunes by saying, “What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.”
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