Bob Dylan
5" x 3.5"
oil on wood, 2010
Bob Dylan was in town the other day for a concert but I didn't go. I did go out two weeks ago to see a rally with Barack Obama but that was very disappointing (even up close). I wish I had gone to Dylan and skipped Obama. Still I had hoped the Democratic party had done a little better these midterm elections. I'm not much into politics and I can't vote, but an artist is traditionally a leftist and so I conform. The day after the elections I was listening to the coverage of results and reactions on National Public Radio. At the end of the day NPR gave a sampling of quotes by some of the winners and some of the losers. I'm sorry I don't recall name nor State of one outgoing Democratic governor, but the outtake on the radio from his speech I remembered: "Well my ship's been split to splinters and it's sinking fast/I'm drowning in the poison, got no future, got no past/But my heart is not weary, it's light and it's free/I've got nothing but affection for all those who sailed with me". It's a beautiful poetic way to say goodbye to office and thank your supporters. The quote, of course, is from Dylan. It's from a song called Mississippi from the Love and Theft album. This is how it continues: "Everybody's moving, if they ain't already there/Everybody's got to move somewhere/Stick with me baby, stick with me anyhow/Things should start to get interesting right about now". It's a beautiful song and the governor was passionate and I soaked it up. When I got home I played Mississippi by Bob Dylan. He's my favorite song writer and hasn't been in the Top 100 for way too long. The painting is the smallest one so far, a true miniature. The wood it's painted on is smaller but thicker than all the others, a cube almost —a freestanding object.
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