After walking past this painting for several weeks, I could not resist adding just one more thing. What was just a folk art painting...descended into surrealism when I brought Syd's tail off the canvas, into the bigger canvas. I looked up Surrealism on Wikipedia and landed upon this phrase. The aim was to "resolve the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality". I regret that I can not submit this painting into the upcoming VSA show. It is far too large for the perimeters of acceptance. This is just a modification of what I thought was finished. I couldn't offer prints to interested parties until I made this modification. I hope it is subtle...and I hope they talk about my paintings before, rather than after I die:)
Once upon a time, I worked at the local air base. I was a janitor by day, and an artist/jeweler by night. In reality, I worked 2nd shift, so technically I was artist by day and janitor at night. I had my nights and days mixed up. This was before cell phones with cameras, and debit cards. It was an awful way to live. For instance, I would get my paycheck on Friday about 1 am, and could not cash it unless I used my sleep time to make the 9-5 world. Occasionally, someone else who worked at the air base would want to show me their jewelry. My favorite was a man who worked in a cubical and showed me a silver ball on a chain around his neck. He took it off, snapped the clasps, and it unfolded into the palm of his hand in the form of a cross, with each segment pyramids.
For years, I have searched and asked about this particular piece of jewelry. I have made drawings of it to aid in my description. The other day, I found an almost exact version of the one I saw in 1987. This time, it was made out of gold. It makes sense to me, that after all this work on a piece, it should be made of the finest metal. I was looking in all the wrong places. It is a masonic piece. This was for sale on eBay, and I found it while researching masonic jewelry.
