Ancient, Sharp & Bruised, 8″x8″, acrylic on canvas
Last winter, I met one of my musical heroes, John Millard of the Polka Dogs and Happy Day, at the Cameron House. We struck up a conversation about stolen CDs and he offered to replace my lost copy of the band’s debut. Over a series of emails, John and I decided to trade a commission for his complete discography. I asked John what sort of art he likes. His reply:
I like field colour stuff. Jack Bush, Ad Rhinehart, Newman, Rothco etc. Maybe that’s not your thing . . .
I like fruit. Pictures of fruit are cool. Fish. Tools.
The resulting painting, Ancient, Sharp & Bruised, features a gar, a piano wrench, and a banana on a colour-blocked background. It’s one of my favourite recent works, and I feel it pushed me in some new creative directions.
John liked the painting, and I am enjoying getting to know six CDs of his music!