In 1990 I took a trip to New Orleans to visit the parents of a boyfriend, "Kennedy" that had passed away. That trip proved to be quite physic for me in that while I was crusing the stores in the French Quarter a black knight on a horse and a "very real looking" plastic frog in a toy store window caught my eye.... strangely without thinking I purchased the toys having
a gut feeling that it had to be.
At Kennedy's Mother's house I promptly placed the toys in Kennedys's room; which was as it was when he left home at 18. His mother was a taken back with amazement that I had replaced the two things he loved the most as a child and had lost. One being a favorite toy and the other a real frog that he had built a pond for... unfortunately a neighbor did not like
hearing the crocking sounds from the frog and killed him..
I also found this very old frame at a flea market in the French Quarter and thought I would create what I call the "Visionary Christmas Tree" in memory of Kennedy's love for New Orleans and those that have had to endure the injustices of a culture of racism.
A tree that could make us see that we are "ALL GODS CHILDREN" and should be treated with dignity and given the opportunities to insure a good life making for a better culture for all to grow up in...
We must never allow babies and elderly to die in vain again as they did in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina.
1 comments:
Donna Mae,
Great artwork. It draws me in and makes me want to know more.
Congratulations on your article in Alameda Magazine! Tom, my husband, picked up the magazine and gave it to me. For not marketing yourself, this is a great way to get yourself there. I'm curious to know more how you got the article…
Do you know http://www.deborahgriffin.com/? Deborah's in Alameda too and I think you two would be interested in each other's work and each other as people. She's very inspiring to me. You're both are inspired by Maggie Taylor.
And I would encourage you to meet Debra Owen from http://www.frankbettecenter.org/ if you haven't already. She's helped me in many ways in my own art exhibition.
Also, your email link doesn't work on your website.
Best,
Leah
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