pameladean

I am a person who has read The Dubious Hills a very large number of times and I took the "none of them painted" reference to be a powerfully subtle indication of something being slightly wrong with Beldi after their parents left, that Arry noticed enough to articulate but without being able to thoroughly think through what it might mean. Like that whether or not he had lost the impulse to paint, he wouldn't use their mother's paintbrushes, which presumably were the only ones they had, and he wouldn't say anything about it either. Maybe I am just making that up now but I am pretty sure it's what I thought upon first reading. & it is the more powerful for the "anymore" being only implied.