September 11th - Seven years later

I didn’t get the chance to do this earlier, so I’m posting it bit after the anniversary. September 11th has changed this country in innumerable ways. I don’t think anyone at the time realized how much would change. Seven years ago, like the rest of the country, I was stunned, and I felt that because we are artists, we should be making some kind of statement about it. It didn’t matter what statement - because we all were coming at it from different points of view - but it was imperative that we say something.

If you’ve learned anything about me from the art in my postings, you’ll see that my work is almost always Happy. At the time it was very important to me to portray this. At the present time however, I’ve been able to see that life - the full spectrum of life contains many facets; all of which are not happy. And for me to develop more fully as an artist, I would have to go down that road.

Back in 2001, I wasn’t really aware of this personal transition. What I did know however, was that I felt the need to try and put this horrific event into context and address it through my art. At the time, I was reading up on Andy Warhol and the upheaval he created in the art world. His Campbell’s soup cans were the basis of the simple painting. The L’s represented towers to me, so that’s what they became.

The response I’ve gotten from this piece is varied. One person (still) wants me to print it on t-shirts. One man said it was in poor taste and he walked off in a huff. One person actually jumped backward when he realized what it was. I didn’t paint it to put on T-shirts, and I didn’t paint it to offend anyone (but if they are offended, that’s their issue, not mine). I really just painted it for myself and the need to get out what was inside regarding these attacks. It certainly isn’t a “good” painting by any means, in terms of technique or anything, but it served its purpose for me. Just thought I’d post it.