The Fruited Plain, Part 2

Last week, I revised and completed The Fruited Plain, at Phantom Galleries LA in downtown Long Beach. Liza, Phantom Galleries' director, asked me to write a statement explaining the work's title and what I was thinking about when I made it. Turns out, like a lot of other folks, I was thinking about politics and current events. In the spirit of recent days, here's what I wrote. Hooray for new beginnings!

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“O' beautiful, for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!”
--Katherine Lee Bates, “America the Beautiful”

During this time of historic change in our nation, I am filled with hope for my future as an artist and a citizen. I was inspired by my hope to create this artwork, The Fruited Plain. Our country is a place of abundance; we are blessed with fertile soil, fertile hearts, and fertile minds. I believe that in the coming days and years we will be inspired to work together to harvest this bounty for the benefit of us all.

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The Fruited Plain
Phantom Galleries LA
340 E. 3rd Street
Long Beach, CA
from now til ?

Phantom Galleries in Long Beach

I've been working in a Phantom Galleries LA project space in Long Beach, California. These shots are of my initial installations in the space, completed right before Christmas. I've started over this week and am working on a whole new piece in the space. As often happens when I work in a window, my visual art morphs into performance for the passersby, as they try to figure out what the heck I'm doing. I'm not too sure of that myself yet....we'll see.

Phantom Galleries LA Long Beach Project Space, 340 3rd Street, Long Beach, California. Thanks to Liza for setting this up!