Original artwork description:

This painting is part of my current series on childhood memory.  I remember when I was 5-6 feeling invincible and just not having a concept of consequence or danger.  It was the 70's, what could go wrong.  Things I would do back then; walking to a friends house a few miles away; wandering in the woods for hours, climbing into anything I could climb into (including old refrigerators), it all seemed fine and dandy.  My son has been afflicted with the same sensibility, but has my wife and I as lunatics trying to stress the importance of safety and good decisions.  We have to tread lightly so we don't suck the exploration out of him.  This leads to "acceptable risk" situations, where the kids can feel like they have some independence in a situation, and we allow it, knowing there is no serious outcome from it.

So this painting is more a memory of mine...being oblivious to the oncoming danger, as well as the terror I have to suppress when thinking of the safety of my children.  I purposely do not identify whether the light illuminating the boy is from a train coming, or simply the light of day.  We don't know...and that is what truly terrifies me.

Materials used:

acrylic and ink

Tags: