Little Boxes 4: Mr. X. & Missy

X., 2010.
Acrylic on Board, 4" x 4"

And now...another set of Little Boxes.

Mr. X was a college friend.  He taught me a great deal about what it means to be an artist.  He also was my first friend with something of an edge.  Don't get me wrong, my friends have always been rowdy hooligans, but he did it a less boys will be boys/small town way - thus the hitter pipe.  X. wasn't the first person I saw partake in recreational use of weed, but he was the first person I spent frequent time that I valued with who did. That edge made him someone that I found fascinating. There were things he did in a "who gives a fuck" sort of way, that shocked and surprised me.  The way he'd walk into art history class with a ceramic mug (that he made) full of rum or Guinness was beyond the pale.  He was a new friend with freedom and uncertainty, and he kept things interesting.  He was also ridiculously intelligent, and studious.  He always had old school comp. books that he wrote in, and this was 1996...way before that sort of retro chic business had caught on.

Missy, 2004
Acrylic & Encaustic on Board.  4" x 4"

Missy was a girl I was once very close to, but because not every story needs to be retold, I'll just say that we were very close and that I cared for her very much.  Regarding the included subject matter of this painting, the foreground element refers to how she once sent me a lavender origami butterfly in a letter (yes, a real one - with stamps and such.)  The pattern in the background is from the walls of Keith Haring's Pop Shop in lower Manhattan, which we visited in 2000.

I continue to be a little surprised by the effect that these silly little paintings have on me.  I don't even allow myself to consider how they'll all be displayed when they show someday because I get too excited.  And one can't maintain that level of excitement for a decade plus without turning into a game show host.  So I bide my time.  It's good for me to learn to downshift and not a terrible idea that I learn patience.  Some things develop best slowly.

Tune in next week for more Little Boxes.