Ash Wednesday

The party's over

This image came to me in pieces.

The setting is based on the architecture of the stairwell of a downtown parking garage. You park on the lower levels and walk up to street level where the attractions are.

This design was so nicely done that I wanted to use it for something. But what?

Later I was thumbing through a book of Edward Hopper's art. Early in his career he had done a street scene while studying in Paris. All the young dudes went to Paris in the 1920s. The Hopper painting was of a sidewalk cafe crowd enjoying the evening. Among them was a man dressed as a white-faced clown. Just sitting, smoking. One of the folks.

Boy, I wanted to do that somehow.

But why?

I knew a young cop a bunch of years back. A real nice guy. He'd be there for you. He was also a real upper. Buoyant in spite of all he saw on the job.

One Halloween he dressed in the classic Pagliacci costume, including white-face and the blue tear from one eye. It knocked me out! His contemporaries came as Forrest Gump (that's how far back this was). I thought it took a little courage to reference something from classical opera.

Next thing I knew, the clown showed up at the stairway railing. In my mind, of course.

One of the most rewarding moments for me is when something comes to mind, breaks through the thought process and just presents itself. This was one of those moments.

The french-curve swirl of the railing, and the tile work, suggested a bit of New Orleans to me. So now I had Mardi Gras. But what else? Someone with the man?

I played with the scene a bit and decided to leave him alone. Literally.

The party's over. Confetti is suggested on the floor. It's late, almost Wednesday morning. A time of reckoning. A time to account for past thoughts and deeds.

Ash Wednesday, when the long wintry lenten season begins.

I painted this in 1993, but it still seems applicable today.