Mountain Cabin, 1961

I think that the only mountain cabin I might have seen at this age would have been the one in Sirnagaleh, Indonesia. This drawing was done in 1961 & the earliest I might have been to Sirnagaleh was early autumn of 1961. And Sirnagaleh is not known for redwood trees. Here are two photos of Sirnegaleh that Brian Walsh sent to me. Brian & his family lived very close to me in Djakarta, at more or less the same time. He was a couple years older. We didn't know each other then but connected recently via internet. His family also vacationed in Sirnegaleh but in a different cabin. But pretty close to the cabin I went to. Anyway these photos are from him & were taken in roughly the same era in which I made my drawings:

Sirnegaleh view

Cabin "Carioca D," Sirnegaleh

This drawing of mine seems pretty clearly a picture of a northern climate, so I'm not sure where this imagery comes from. Some movie, I suppose. I don't think I'd seen much television yet. Just some Garfield Goose with Clutch Cargo & Scott McCloud, Space Angel at my grandparents' house in Chicago.

In any case this is an early version of a scene I drew many many times again & which takes up an inordinate amount of space in my imagination: the isolated mountain cabin hideaway. The later drawings on this theme, all of which I am pretty sure have been destroyed, omitted the rollicking adventures of this drawing's native americans & bush pilots. The mountain hideaway of my imagination is just that: a hideaway, a place of retreat & refuge, a safe house. I have a lot to say about this, but here is not the place & now is not the time. (ps. cool sun)

Village Life, 1961

This one has a strangely rectangular formation of v-shaped birds in flight, a mediocre sun & combines elements from Currier & Ives, Norman Rockwell & Dutch landscape painting. There is a lot going on in the drawing but all pretty mundane activities. This reminds me of living in Virginia, specifically of Virgina summers. I am getting sleepy & a little bored just looking at it.

Forest Dinner With Birds, 1962

Looks like mom's back with a gorgeful of worms & grubs. Even the sun is singing with joy.