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Light Fuse and Get Away1996 Oil on linen 54.0" x 81.0" Private Collection It's really difficult to get good fireworks in California, but in Texas you can buy them on the Fourth of July and at Christmas at roadside stands outside the city limits. "Stop the car!" I yelled when I saw the stand. The salesman tried to explain what each item did and shook his head in disbelief when I told him I was only interested in how they looked. I filled a very shiny old flea market military helmet with B-52 Bombers. My Aunt Doodle lived on Lake Worth, outside of Fort Worth, right across the lake from the runway of a military base. My cousins and I spent hours playing in the shallow water in front of Doodle's house, watching and listening to those huge planes take off and land. Most of the fireworks say "Light Fuse and Get Away" on their labels. It seemed appropriate to place them on an American Flag: Fourth of July, patriotism, and fireworks. They look like such fun. We all ooh! and aah! when they go off. But they can blow your hand off if you aren't careful. There's a sweet little panda bear, a butterfly, a hen, and some innocent playing cards. But the Black Cat has his teeth bared, and a blue dragon with big sharp teeth is sliding in along the right bottom corner, and all these colorful and pretty items could just blow sky high any minute. Sounds distressingly like the world in 2003. |