What portrait is she painting?

In one word I can sum up the portrait of Mary Gordon's mother: honest. She is not trying to make her out to be a terrible person, nor is she equating her to an angel. She's just honest. I think that is the direct result of the fact that a relationship between mother and child is one of the most intimate human relationships we have on this earth. Personally, there is no one I value more on this earth than my other. And my relationship with her is the best relationship I have in my life. However, we're not perfect. I call my mom out on her flaws and she likewise. But it's done in a way that truly could only be done between a mother and daughter. Even with rockier mother/daughter relationships, there is still a great level of intricacy. It's a unique bond that words can't really justify. It's just a natural relationship that overtime progresses in its own unique way. Mary Gordon is a writer. If she were a painter, she would paint a portrait of her mother. The execution of every hair follicle would be precise, no freckle would go unnoticed, and every detail would be precise, painting her mother exactly for who she is. Writing is like a more intimate painting. She can't draw the physical being of her mother, so instead she writes it. Every detail. Every success. Every failure. Every good, bad, happy and sad moment in her life. Because Mary Gordon is a writer who loves her mother, and that's all that needs to be explained.