For today, Dia de Los Muertos, I am featuring a homemade postcard. Ever since my Dad passed away, this celebration surfaced as one I choose to embrace. A day set aside each year, to reflect and express gratitude for the impact those who have passed on, made in our lives. The cultural celebration is broader than that, but for the purposes of our blog, that explanation should do the trick.
Honoring this day was sealed the first year I recognized it in 2000. . . see, I pulled together photos of people important to me, who are no longer of this earth, and honored each with a special token we shared. I would sip a glass of wine and reminisce in memory. Such as, Dad joking he would come back as some pesky gnat, buzzing around, making life uncomfortable. Well, there were a couple pesky pests haunting my wine glass that evening. And the next morning, when I found one pest floating in there, my first notion was, DAAAAD!?
Back to the postcard: so, I’ve been attempting to dissect this artwork since landing in Ventura. (Truth be told, I’ve been scratching my head about this piece every time I visit.) Even after several weeks, I still don’t understand it, but it’s been fun to take stabs at it! I tried getting clues from other paintings he’s done in the home, and, no, those other pieces don’t shed any light on what’s going on here. As a matter of fact, depending on the light, you get new messages.
A very suspicious shadow lurking in that lower left corner???
And, I still can’t read the language.
Please check out the artist, John T. Jones. He’s local to southern California and tackles all sorts of art form, from big city installations, to this type of acrylic painting.
