Painting: Oil on Canvas.

Painted: 2019

Size:

Owner: In Storage

Music Selection: “Year of the Cat” by Al Stewart

When I was a child, my Uncle Billy was our babysitter on occasion. While I was growing up we always had access to art supplies, in this case it was Crayons and coloring books. While Billy was watching us, he joined our coloring session, but what he did was outside the lines. He first darkened the outline of the picture with heavy black Crayon and then began to color each segment with a different pigment. At first I thought this was wrong, but after I looked at it closer I liked it. This was a change in my perspective. From that point on I didn’t need to stay inside the lines to create art. This is a painting of the Charlie that lives in my office. Yes… the pot is flat, and the stand has more dimensions. The plant looks plastic, but it is a living thing and I water it whenever I remember to.

The background represents a place, I believe, Charlie would prefer to live. I’m certain my plant would like to find its place in the sun, but it is trapped inside my little office. People sometimes feel trapped, but if you’re thriving why do you care? What is trapping you? Are you really trapped? Do you see a cat? Some viewers do see a cat, and that delights me. They are concrete thinkers and that is okay. I personally wish I could see the cat too.