In the Electric Room

In the Electric Room

36"x 28"
acrylic/fluted sbs

The String

The String

28"x 36"
acrylic/flutted sbs


So, when we were kids, we'd go to visit my father on the East side, he lived in a nice little town out side the city.....  He had a house that had a creek running along the back of the house, it was really more of a water over run to prevent flooding.
 We would explore it and sneak cigarettes and do all the things boys will do when left on their own, at the end of the creek there was a tunnel, the water would flow through, it had a bend in it, so one could not see to the end, to do that you would have to enter.... so we did... with candles.....
When we would get to the bend there was light, and at the end it was squared off and the water would flow until it dropped about 60 feet to the river.

Years later I would have a reoccurring dream... as an adult I was outside the tunnel, there was a girl or woman, I was never sure...... She would see me then run into the tunnel, I could never catch up with her until I reached the squared off end.... and as I would approach she would just stand there....
When I was just about to her, she would jump head first to the river....... I could never stop her or help her

I probably had that dream 9 or 10 times

in kansas

i visited my father for almost two weeks recently.  he lives in kansas city, the place in which i grew up.  i seldom visit any longer-there never seems to be enough time, and, furthermore, it is expensive to get to from the east coast.  however, since my father was ill, i made the time.  it was good.  since i was without my children i was given the gift of being able to view the places of my childhood in a way that i had been unable to before.  certain landmarks that had been taken for granted by me earlier in my life took on mythical qualities.  in particular, i became transfixed by a group of factories by the missouri river, with bright candy cane striped smokestacks.  they seemed so surreal and slightly absurd against the grey days and the muddy, murky river. i am sure i had seem them many times before, but, i never noticed them. i was really struck by the notion of how much i ignored because it was familiar.  i probably missed a lot.  now that i am back at home, i hope to notice more here.  visual magic is everywhere.