Rick Fox: Drawings Blonde Haired Sally…and New Supports Throughout the process of making these pictures, the “meanings” connected with the images became layered and up-ended. Following are some of the original associations from when I first began working with them.

Toad, Frog and Baby Snapping Turtle: I made charcoal drawings as I explored my present relationship to the victims of my constant “catch and release” fascination during summers as a child.

Rooster: The Christian story when Peter denied any relationship with Jesus after interrogation by authorities. The following morning, it all came crashing down. Jesus’ prediction had been correct…Peter denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed. The Rooster is connected to betrayal, regret, and humanness.

Hand-Held Frog: Connection to nature To posses/ To control Futile desire to hold onto glorious yet elusive moments Attempt to block or to restrain relaxed naturalness (Linked to Rooster…I imagine Peter would have wanted to choke that chicken mid cock-a-doodle-doo.)

Deer: While rollerblading, I passed by the backyard of a suburban home with a life size lawn ornament of a deer posed next to a bird feeder. My girlfriend was five minutes behind me. She had a different experience as she passed the same backyard. She was thrilled of her privilege to be in the momentary presence of a beautiful, and magical wild doe. The plastic vs. magical debate eventually ended the relationship.

Blonde Haired Sally: “Blonde”…to avoid confusion with her brunette friend, Lucy. From a dream of Sally (of “Peanuts” fame.) In the dream I realized that Sally had “human” organs inside of her…organized a little differently, but nevertheless a complex, rich, and efficient internal system. It was a positive dream that seemed to be connected to an awareness of a nourishing vitality. The perception of this vitality had been previously blocked by old habits of hasty and uninformed judgments.

Monkey: Indulgent, impulsive, uninhibited

Fish/Water: I had a very brief career as a commercial fisherman. Dream of a being on the dead end street that I grew up on with a fish frozen in a block of ice at my feet. I watched the block of ice melt and the living fish swam away into a stream formed by the melting ice. The stream gradually widened and grew into a knee-high river. The fish quickly multiplied and filled the river. They were teaming around me, dense enough for me to walk across the river on their backs. A net appeared in my hand and I frantically tried to fill my net with fish. With each scoop I was dissatisfied with the amount in my net and I continued to empty the net and re-scoop. The river continued to widened…and the fish dispersed. I was left with an empty net. A variety of associations linked to symbols in religion and myth…Life/Sexuality.

Crow: As an adolescent, my Dad had a pet crow. In Carlos Casteneda’s The Teachings of Don Juan A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, Don Juan chose to use the inconspicuous form of a crow as a medium for his shape-shifting.

Lincoln: I like his face. A Hero of integrity and melancholy who allowed exaggerations about his background to bolster campaigns for political office. Creating stories and interpreting “truth”

Tools: Force of will (vs. victim of circumstance)

Gun: From a recurring dream…many situations in the dream involve the need for urgent and necessary action. A gun always becomes available as a viable option. I righteously pose as a pacifist and refuse to have anything to do with the gun. I refuse to learn how to use it. The feeling of the dream is of cowardice and deceit as I hide out within a “pacifist platform.” In the dream I am terrified of the responsibilities and ethical decisions that accompany the gun.

Lucky Strike: Within the practice of “plein air” landscape painting (landscape painting done outside in the open air,) there is a term “premier coup,” (first strike.) This refers to capturing the spirit of the landscape on the first try. The term “Lucky Strike” seems more appropriate in general, but especially for this series. Lucky Strike was the brand of cigarettes that I used to smoke, and is associated with desire and addiction. I also wanted to make the swirling smoke in the picture connected with (specifically) tobacco rather than with the smoke of a hallucinogenic drug.

Bucket Carrier: Hero from the folk tale “Iron John.” One form of Iron John was a giant who inhabited a pond in a forest. The boy-hero revealed and eventually captured the giant by emptying the pond one bucket at a time.

Big Foot: In the 1970’s Steve Austin, a.k.a. “The Six Million Dollar Man,” courageously dealt with a very challenging situation that involved Big Foot.