KIEFERART FINE ART UP CLOSE

"My Ball"
Oil on canvas, 12" x 9"

$200 (US customers only) PURCHASE INFO

We used to frequent a particular campground in Central Minnesota. Our favorite spot was treed, no view of the lake, but there was something alluring about that specific point in the universe. It seemed to have the power to bring nearly-forgotten memories to the surface. We could hear kids playing down by the lake shore laughing and screaming that high-pitched playful scream kids let out when they get carried away. You couldn't help but laugh along with them. The sounds were faint, muted by the density of the trees, almost echoing. We were busy doing this and that in the RV, but it all subtlely seeped into our subconscious minds. There would be lulls between the screeches and laughter, making you wonder what chicanery they were up to.

I have an older brother (by 7 years) who was, of course, much bigger than I when we were kids. He used to do what most older brothers do to their siblings ... dominate. It seemed no matter what I did or said, he had the upper hand. The sounds those kids were making brought back a flood of emotional memories.

The land you see in this painting was the view from our RV. The kids are made up. At the easel, I didn't plan the figures at all. I just let the images emerge from my mind and planted them on the canvas. We see three kids, each with their own ball. The boys are on the path, planning their next move. The girl in the foreground is sitting on that path at a distance (with her ball) watching them intently, wondering how and if she would fit in their scheme. When I finished the painting, a calm came over me that I hadn't felt in a very long time. It occurred to me that, somehow, I managed to take the ball and run in my own direction. Thank you, Gloria Steinem.