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. 

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.