Think About Such Things

Reading The Key Essay 15 of 17

MIXED MEDIA ON CANVAS, 16 X 20
ACRYLIC, INK, GESSO, VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH, NIV BIBLE, 1956 BEGINNING DICTIONARY, SKELETON KEY, WASHINGTON DC VINTAGE SOUVENIR PHOTO

Harshly, almost down the center, a gnarly tree divides the picture plane of “Think About Such Things.” The artist has chosen to stretch aesthetic rules in this piece with the intention of pushing the viewer gently into a place of slight discomfort.

“Think About Such Things” presents a challenge. We meet a young boy, seated in his doorway in 1960. He plays with a die-cast metal truck, dressed for school or church in his v-neck sweater and crew cut. He abides in the branches of the tree, just below the writing of the Apostle Paul: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Whatever you have learned … put it into practice….”
On the opposite side of the tree we have a page from a dictionary that the young man would certainly have used in his school – a 1956 Beginning Dictionary. On this page, amidst “thoroughbred” and “thirsty” is the word “think.” A vintage souvenir photo of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, is inset over the dictionary page. A skeleton key fills the interim space.

The viewer’s challenge is to balance the two sides: thinking about whatever is pure in the context of a child, while equipping the child to figuratively explore the Library of Congress. The good news is this can be and is done every day.