| click image for magnified detail |
Miss Millie's Pals1994 Oil on canvas 48.0" x 74.0" Private collection This is the other still life from Swami's collection. This marks the beginning of my fascination with and collection of Millie and Willie, the "Kool" penguins. They pop up in many a collectibles shop, and if they're under 20 bucks, I take 'em home with me. It's that high-contrast black and white thing - makes a painting pop! Froggie looms quite large in the background, but Millie is so sweet and feminine that I'm sure all the others are there at her request. Well, maybe not the Indian. I think he's going to rob that bank, or perhaps he symbolizes the Native Americans who have a right to be upset with the "Establishment" (bank) who came and desecrated their lands. Maybe the alien robots will land and really throw us all into a tizzy. Meanwhile, lots of us are puppets like the central sweet-faced guy sitting on Froggie's shoe: innocent, gazing off into the distance, not really noticing our surroundings, while sitting on an unstable perch. The patent date on the bank is my birthday, and the numbers in the small windows of the bank are the date of my wedding. |