Manchester Gothic

2010

24" X 30"

Oil on Panel

In the Artist's Collection

Ahhhh…
my compost pile.
And Cousin Ed’s pitchfork.
And Pat’s straw hat.
Hanging on the rack I made from an old Christmas tree.
And the sagging studio shed siding
in the cold snowy shadows as backdrop.
I came to work one morning in January
and the sharply angled winter sun
was just starting to catch the edges of the straw
in this hard working pile.
Churning away at it’s core
and breaking down all that earthy matter
into nothing short of…
promises.
The whispers of steam
escaping and dancing
and teasing my frozen toes
into remembering a tender green snow pea
hanging in the warm spring sunshine.
I confess
that I did audition a bushel of maple leaves.
And this one won out because of it’s authentic curl
which perfectly fit the fork
but I left in some of it’s age spots
just to keep us both
humble.