87th Place Oak Lawn, Ilinois

87th Place Oak Lawn, Ilinois -- painting by Douglas Brent Smith, 1977.

I lived with my mother for a brief time in 1977. My girlfriend at the time, Annie, wanted to escape herself to Florida (haven't seen her since) and so she plotted with my mom for me to move to Oak Lawn. The first gift my mom gave me there was a blue T-shirt that said "Wellinthehellis Oak Lawn, IL?".

Jack, Mom's husband, was mostly on the road working but when he was home he'd often give mom a hard time so she wanted me there to calm things down. Jack and I got along great but he was an alcoholic and would hit mom -- but not when I was there, which was why I was there.

After I returned to New Jersey Mom would eventually have Jack arrested and Jack straightened up. He stopped drinking. He became safe and loving. They had some happy years together.

This painting is a self-portrait. I was blessed with lots of time so I painted. Gosh, how I loved painting. I used acrylics because they dried fast. I'd spend all day painting with shows like the Match Game on TV or listening to WXRT stereo.

Jack asked me once "When are you going to get a job?" which was a perfectly fair question. He even arranged an interview with UPS for Johnny (his son) and me. Johnny got the job, I didn't is how I remember it but maybe I didn't even follow the lead to the interview. I don't remember. You could say I was a slacker. I thought of myself as bohemian. Beatnik. Cool. But, I should have gotten a job.

While I lived there I landed the role of The Divine One in the play "When North Is East and South Is West." which is where I Sally Craig Christianson, who both Del and I fell madly in love with, but she was already married so we were simply wonderful friends -- constantly laughing and hanging out backstage.

Also during that play I met Nena. She lived not that far from me and not far from Bob Armstrong so we'd sometimes share rides home. Bob drove a beat-up Ford Pinto with a rusted out drivers side floor. Nena sat on my lap. I recommend that as a way to get closer together, but not as a safety practice.

Nena and I had one date before I left Chicago to return to NJ. It was a fun time walking around the Loop. We had lunch at a diner. Neither one of us had much money. I remember her counting coins with her hands hidden under the table. I think (I hope) that I picked up the tab.

Nena backstage at the Playwright Center in Chicago

It was enough I guess to spark a flame, or at least a correspondence, that lead to so much more.

How's that for context for this self-portrait? I've got to admit, I like it.

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Do The Math

Do The Math -- pencil sketch by Douglas Brent Smith, 20 October, 1999. Is it odd that I don't usually draw in pencil? There is so much more opportunity to make changes in pencil, both additions and subtractions. Somehow, though, ink has usually been my choice. I think it might have something to do with contrast. For this rendering I increased the contrast in the file and saturation to bring the drawing out more. I also did what I could to minimize the notebook lines, even covering over the holes and cropping beyond the wire binding. I'm not sure what my head was thinking at the time -- we were shopping for a car to replace the Chevy Cavalier that "drowned" in a storm.

Terra Cotta

Whatever floats your boat matters. Send yourself on a journey unique to your character, special for your strengths, resilient to your challenges. My dad once made a canoe. He carved it out of a single piece of wood. He told me that it floated, the way a canoe should, but it leaned to one side. I never got in that canoe but I did see it. It's a gift to be able to make things out of wood, even if the first time you try it comes out a little wabi sabi. Terra Cotta - collage by Douglas Brent Smith, 1998, from Journal #33, Life In Progress

The Mysteries of Love

The Mysteries of Love -- painting by Douglas Brent Smith, acrylic, 14 x 18, painted at 2065 Pennington Road, Ewing Township, NJ, not dated.

thanks, pal

if you want to hear the truth ask a child before an institution pinches their constitution blurring all intuition leaving the squared off from the perfectly rounded whole if you want to stay honest raise a child listen like a student trust as a friend follow with enthusiasm the perfectly rounded sound of truth if you want to grow learn from a child -- doug smith 4/21/1988.

One More Cosmic Landscape

One More Cosmic Landscape -- painting by Douglas Brent Smith, acrylic, 12 x 16, December 1973. Here are two previous views of the same painting, photos that are at an angle. Discards, sure, but also interesting: One More Cosmic Landscape -- painting by Douglas Brent Smith, acrylic, 12 x 16, December 1973. Here's a cropped photo of the same painting. I couldn't figure out how to rotate it but I like seeing it at this angle.

How to Create a 3D Picture In Your Head

How to Create a 3D Picture In Your Head -- collage by douglas brent smith or, go with the alternate title if you like, something about a dream and little Mexico. We're here on this plane creating our little hearts out, in this case sometime in or near 1995. "Draw a picture." "Why?" "I'd love to see it."

The Motion Age Beatnik

The Motion Age Beatnik -- collage by douglas brent smith, 21 March 1984 Notes: I met the three people who are featured in the lower right corner of this collage. It was during a festival that I was involved with in Child's Play Touring Theatre. I do not remember the name of the mime trio. I think they were from France. They were fun, they were fabulous, we all got along famously. Never to meet again, but for a day or two we were all fast friends. I didn't speak any French, so our interactions were mostly non-verbal, but they were a mime troupe after all, so no problem at all.

The Towers of Vettunder

The Towers of Vettunder - painting by Douglas Brent Smith, acrylic. This one feels like another cover to a science fiction novel. In the 70's I might have tried to write that book. Maybe it's not too late.

Bad Presentation Habits

People are distracted if you assemble an engine while you are making your presentation. Also, if you take photos of light posts and give them fancy names (like Howard Smith), or share tea with the ladies while the rest of the group stares in disbelief, feeling left out, feeling out of place. Is that the presentation that you intended? It wasn't easy to assemble a room filled with geniuses. Now what do you do? Bad Presentation Habits - collage by Douglas Brent Smith, 1998, from Journal #33, Life In Progress

douglas brent smith

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