Very ordinary town, if you ask me. Little better behaved than most. Probably a lot duller.
Thornton Wilder, Our Town, Act I.
Grover’s Corners in Our Town came to mind when I saw this abandoned store in Winfield, Missouri about four summers ago. I was driving north on Highway 79, flanking the Mississippi River, when the sun rose in the east and gently washed the dusty store facades of this sleepy town. I got out of my Jeep and took over a dozen pictures of the remains of this antique store. The main street remained quiet the entire time I walked about, and the shadows seemed to hide dozens of secrets. As I reopen this watercolor series I’m calling “My Town”, I will look for some kind of identity to place on this storefront.
Thanks for reading.
I paint in order to remember.
I journal when I feel alone.
I blog to remind myself that I am not alone.
Tags: Winfield
July 7, 2014 at 7:33 pm |
I like the paintings you’ve done of this storefront and am looking forward to you developing the My Town series further. I hope you get into writing fiction for it as well, or even poetry. There’s are three great Calvino collections that might be interesting to you as you pursue this series: “Invisible Cities,” “Mr. Paloma’s,” and “Marcovaldo, or Seasons in the City.” When reading those I thought something in that vignette style would go perfectly with paintings.
LikeLike
July 7, 2014 at 7:41 pm |
Corey, thanks a million for that lead. I do not know the work of Calvino and am delighted to meet a new muse. I feel a tad awkward writing fiction and poetry, but want to, nevertheless. Thank you for your encouragement.
LikeLike