Redtree Times

Learning to Fly— Now at the West End Gallery

Well the good ol’ days
May not return
And the rocks might melt
And the sea may burn

I’m learning to fly
But I ain’t got wings
Coming down
Is the hardest thing

–Tom Petty, Learning to Fly

Is he flying?

That was the question that immediately came to mind when this gangly flyer made its appearance in this new painting, Learning to Fly, which is an after-opening addition to the West End Gallery show.

In my mind, he (though I am not certain it is he or she) is attempting to fly but isn’t certain of his having this ability and doesn’t quite know how to go about it. He’s never seen anyone on his little island world fly before so there’s no one to ask. Besides, the idea of taking flight seems so farfetched that asking someone might be embarrassing and bring ridicule.

But he can plainly see that, in the form of the island that holds the Red Tree, that there is more to life than the little world he knows. Perhaps if he could get there somehow, things would change, maybe bring him a better life in every way.

Perhaps he can become the person he wants to be and do the things he feels compelled to do which cannot happen if he stays put. He must leave that place and the others that remain behind.

You might ask at this point why he doesn’t get in the water and swim across to that island. The answer is that, though you cannot see them here, the seemingly calm channel is filled with a rogue band of white sharks, stinging jellyfish, electric eels, and worst of all, man-eating seahorses. It’s a madhouse down there!

So, he is left with flying away as his only means to move beyond his known world. It might not work, of course. He might belly flop and find himself among those merciless and bloodthirsty channel-dwellers.

But if he can somehow take to the air and fly, the Red Tree Island is but a beginning. All the world becomes his to explore and soar above– the land, the sea, the sky. Everything everywhere.

So, can he fly or is this just an ill-advised belly flop into oblivion?

In my mind, he flies.

Oh, he dips and he dives. His feet brush the water just out of the reach of the hungry critters below. He struggles to find a comfortable position in the air. He’s not sure if he should try to take the standard Superman position with arms extended and legs straight out behind him. He did adopt the cape, after all.

He finds that gravity still plays a part, making his legs dangle and his belly sag. Maybe he should have tried this with a comfortable chair or in the standing position? For all he knows, either might work as well and be much more comfortable.

Not sure he lands this first time. Hopefully, it works out for him and he finds what he seeks.

Of course, it is a metaphor for anyone who aspires to be something other than what those around them expect them to be. About doing something that nobody you know has done before. It’s about longing and growth and risk and exceeding expectations.

The realization of imagination.

I say he makes it. I know it can be done.

What about you? And I mean that beyond the question of whether this guy can fly. Have you truly tried to fly?

Here’s the natural musical link and the song that gave this piece its title. I had other titles in mind but this seemed so natural and right that I couldn’t resist using it. This is the late great Tom Petty and his Learning to Fly.