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Smile1994 Oil on canvas 53.0" x 84.0" Private collection One day a good friend called to tell me that the house she'd just bought had a very large basement room that had been full, really full, of old toys. That surely did whet my appetite. Fearless and pushy as always, I got the man's name, Jefferson, and phoned him right up. Collectors love to talk about their collections. I weaseled an invitation to view his toys, and WOW! He and his wife, Shirley, had just moved into a new home, and every horizontal surface was stacked and mounded with wonderful treasures. Tin toys, old books, locomotives, dolls - you name it. It was almost too much to take in. Serious eye candy. "The Establishment", a bank, and the military are on the left. "Everyman (and woman)" are at play on the right. You will notice that both see-saws have the woman on top, but they're supported by the men. We've got the GOP and the Democrats going round and round on the toy top - kind of a circus act. Maybe the clowns are congressmen with the usual pork? The storyteller is in his place at lower right. The money marbles are spilling over with abundance, and the banker is smiling. Things seem to be right on time, but are they? An ominous looking "Big Brother" clown lurks in the background, and both sides of the brick foundation of the bank are being nibbled away by bugs! What's new? You might as well smile! Oh yes, I made the Fun Fair belong to my children, Starrs and Emil. |