YCL Art

18"x36" mixed media on canvas 2008

Lots of people who see this image find different ways of interpreting what’s going on. Someone once asked if it was symbolic of my roots, while others just stand amused and scared to ask. Well, here’s the story behind the painting:

My sister and I were raised by a single immigrant mother who was not afraid of working herself to death to give us a better life. She took on many odd jobs to make ends meet and to get us off of welfare & other government (though I still have fond memories of government cheese… ) Anyway, one of the many jobs my mom had was being a “maintenance” guy at our apartment building. If something needed mowing, cleaning, repairing, then my mom would take care of it. One day, we got new trashcans in for our building and my mom had the fantastic idea to fill them with water and Mr. Bubbles so we could have our very own mini swimming pools. This was repeated several times and every time was even better than the last. Just to spice things up, sometimes, we would put the dog in the trashcan or we would even hide in the cans and jump out as cars drove by.

it was a simpler time, a simpler place, with lots of uncomplicated emotions and just pure bliss. Recreating this memory in a painting is a constant reminder to me that if a trashcan could make me happy once then achieving happiness is always at my reach.

Seperation 20"x30" mixed media on canvas

I have a sister 2 years older than me. As children, we were inseparable in all we did. I have memories of my sister holding my hand wherever we went, if she had to leave my side she would often hug me and give me a kiss on the cheek. We had our moments of sibling rivalry that comes with being a kid, but what sticks in my head is the additional layer of protection and comfort she was in my life.

I have several memories of being separated from my sister. There was the one time we went to vacation bible school, I remember we just had a fantastic bus ride to the school where we entertained ourselves by yelling at truck drivers to “HONK YER HORN!!!” And you could not imagine the excitement and screaming involved when one of them actually blew their horn. As we unloaded from the bus they started to separate us by age and that’s when it happened. I could feel that sinking feeling in my gut as I realized I wasn’t by my sister, they sat me down with a Jesus coloring book page and a green crayon. I knew Jesus wasn’t green but I was so emotional and distracted that I remember carefully coloring him in green until I couldn’t hold it in any more and the tears started flowing. One of the teachers came over to me and I told her my stomach hurt and she asked if I wanted to see my sister, of course I said yes. Luckily, they reunited me with her and all was good again.

Then there was time my sister started kindergarten. I have several memories of watching her get on the bus and wishing I could be with her. It was a great day when I finally got to ride the bus to school with her, but a sad day when I found out we’d be separated again once we got to school. It was a vicious cycle but I finally learned to cope

So next Saturday, I’m donating 12 hours of my life to a drawing marathon to help raise money for the American Cancer Society. You have choices: show up to the 3rd Annual Drawing for Life Marathon at TAC II located 111 E. Bay St on March 6th from 10A-10P and purchase drawings on the spot, all funds go to ACS or CLICK HERE to donate now.