A painting that brings back childhood memories

I used to love swinging when I was younger.

Perhaps I should re-phrase that. I used to love being on a swing when I was a kid. I can still remember the swings at Spring Park. They weren't rope swings like the one shown in this painting. Rather, they had metal rungs and a black, leather seat. But they were attached to about a 14-foot base and the key was to lean back with each swing forward that would bring you ever higher.

That's about as deep as this painting gets.

I've been so tired of the seemingly never-ending bad news regarding the coronavirus. The on-going protests in various cities that seem to be getting more and more out of control aren't adding any cheeriness to things, either.

So with my paintings, I have decided to ignore reality and with this particular one, I simply wanted to create something bright, fun and full of joy.

I thought of all the things I used to love to do as a kid and ultimately, decided on the swing set visual. Rather than try and re-create myself, I thought a girl on a rope swing with her hair flying about might be more fun.

I also decided that I didn't want the rope swing to have any real context. I didn't want it to have any frame of reference. It's just her and the rope swing, set against a bright, blue sky with big, puffy clouds.

Granted, her hair does look a little like a Smurfs might look. But ultimately, I'm happy with it.

In fact, I'm pretty darn happy with the entire painting. No, it may not be my best work. But it's a startling visual. And every time I look at it, it brings a bit of a smile to my face.

It's a shame that so few people ever actually see my paintings in real life. Viewing them on your phone or your tablet or computer screen is nice but it simply doesn't have the impact of seeing it in its actual size.

This one is really vibrant with color. Someday, I hope to have a show again. This is my 13th painting that I've done this year. I'm having fun and slowly, I think I'm getting better.

Like the girl on the swing, my objective is to continue to go "Higher".