Redtree Times

The Scarecrow’s Daydream– Coming to West End Gallery

I strongly wish for what I faintly hope;
like the daydreams of melancholy men,
I think and think in things impossible,
yet love to wander in that golden maze.

–John Dryden, The Rival Ladies (1693)

I’ve been steadily working in the past week or so.  I mentioned earlier that it felt awkward, that the mental and physical processes were really rusty and way out of sync. This past week has been like boot camp, even more so because I am primarily working with the transparent acrylic inks with which I began my career. It is more of a watercolor-based process though mine has a few quirks of its own.

Though it felt rocky at first, I have been pleased with the results thus far and am feeling the inklings of that old feeling where one piece creates the inspiration and opening for another. It is the beginning of a groove. I’ve been there and recognize it. And am excited to find it still nearby.

This inspiration that pushes toward the groove might come in the form of a color appearing that has slipped from the front of my mind, one that has special properties of its own even though it doesn’t seem far removed from other shades of the same color. Or it might be an element or form you have eased away from or only employ once in a while.

When these things appear it’s like running into an old friend and realizing after a few minutes how much you enjoyed their company and have missed them.

I’ve ran into a few old friends this past week or so. It’s a good feeling to not be alone out there on that empty painting surface. Their input is invaluable to me.

One of the new pieces is the small painting at the top, 4″ by 6″ on paper, that is going to be included in the annual Little Gems show at the West End Gallery that opens on February 6. The Little Gems show, which is now one of the most highly anticipated shows of the year for the West End, began in 1995. That first show also marked the first public showing of my work. I’ve been fortunate to show new small work in all the shows through the 30+ years and in this, its 32nd edition, I am once again a happy participant.

Like some of the colors and forms I mentioned above, the Little Gems show is like an old friend.

And this year, perhaps more than ever, I am even more glad to have such an old friend.

This painting is titled The Scarecrow’s Daydream. There is a yellow in the field that is one of those old friends, one that thrilled me when I saw it again for such a long time. It is a mixture of a couple of yellow shades, a bit of red, and sepia. When it works– it sometimes does not– it bangs the gong loudly for me. I don’t exactly know what that means, it just sounded good when I wrote it. I guess I could have simply said I really like the color. But that’s not how I roll, is it?

The Scarecrow is another old friend that periodically returns. I am still trying to understand what it is about scarecrows that holds my fascination. Maybe it stems from Ray Bolger‘s character in the Wizard of Oz? There’s something in that affable, kind character singing If I Only Had Brain that connected deeply with me as a kid.

There was also an episode of The Wonderful World of Disney from 1964 that sticks firmly in my memory. It was titled The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh and was about a group of Brits rebelling against the onerous taxation of King George III in 1763. They are led by Dr. Syn who dons a scarecrow outfit to terrorize the British troops. The song and imagery of its opening shown below are another scarecrow figure that is embedded in my mind.

There is something enigmatic in the form a scarecrow as an avatar for a human being. It’s like a primal form of robotics where we create a figure in our own image to do tasks for us. Yet, because they have our somewhat human form, we begin to attach more human qualities to them than we first intended. They sometimes end up scaring us as much, if not more, than the crows.

There’s probably a lesson or commentary in there somewhere about our relationship with advanced robotics and the unintended consequences of AI but it will have to wait its turn on another day.

As for the daydreaming scarecrow here, I do see it as being analogous to the human experience of mindlessly biding time, tethered in time and place. That sounds somewhat sad and melancholic and I suppose there is an element of that in it. But there is also something beyond that in it for me. While we do spend an ample portion of our lives doing sometimes mundane and mindless tasks, like that scarecrow in that field, there is something in the scarecrow here that is almost celebratory and appreciative for having the opportunity to simply serve a purpose and play a part, however small it might seem, in the human drama.

That’s all we can ask for ourselves, isn’t it?

Now get out of my field. Shoo! I got work to do and daydreams to think on. You heard me– git!