These pieces were so much fun to paint and what memories they brought back as I worked on them. I am so thankful for having the opportunity of being raised out in the hills of the Missouri Ozarks. We may have been poor but my life is rich with wonderful childhood memories. This was in the days of no entertainment and you had to actually entertain yourself. We got a 3 whole channels on the TV and if you wanted to listen to music you had to listen to your little handheld transistor radio and hope their wasn't any interference. Oh, and let's not forget the old "PARTY LINE" phone system. Not only did we have to share the phone line with 3 other families, we actually heard their phone ring at our house. Can you imagine a teenager today not being allowed to talk on the phone?
The summer days were filled with climbing trees, building forts, riding bikes and swimming at the creek. The nights were hot and muggy but filled with the sounds of June bugs, tree frogs, crickets and whippoorwills. If you laid in your bed really still and focused on all the night sounds you might forget just how hot you were.
One of my absolute highlights was to get a letter in the mailbox. As I entered my teen years I developed several pen pal friendships and so if I wasn't walking the half mile up the gravel road to Highway 52 where our mailbox was located to mail a letter, I was walking there to hopefully retrieve one.
My dad began to worry that I was in some sort of danger of being kidnapped so he tried to tell me I couldn't walk up to highway any longer. I pleaded with him and we came up with a compromise. I would once again be allowed to go on my daily walks only if I carried the shotgun with me. I guess he figured that I was less likely to be approached by strangers of I was "PACKING HEAT". In reality the shotgun wasn't loaded and I was somewhat embarrassed by it so I would try to hide it from view if a car drove past but it was the sacrifice I had to make to continue my letter writing friendships undisturbed.
This piece that I call "Lunch Under the Mailbox" reminds me a lot about my Missouri childhood. In the summer there were little box turtles everywhere. They could be found crossing through our yard and often be seen crossing the roads. I can recall numerous times my mom would pull the car over so that we could render aid to one that might have been flipped over. They are most certainly my favorite reptile. I hope I caught the expression of this little guy and how he is anticipating his tasty flower snack.
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| Lunch Under the Mailbox- 24 x 36 Original Acrylic |
This was the first piece I painted in what I think will be a series of works regarding country life. You can read that blog called Fence Posts from two weeks ago.
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| "Life at the Fence Post"- 24 x 36 Original Acrylic |
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