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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....
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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.  
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Jump Close

  This could be a first draft. It's a doodle becoming something. We might need to stare at it for awhile to determine what it wants to become. It could be done. It could be changing. I scanned this present state since once it is changed (if it is changed) the original will stop existing.  "Do you like it?" "I think so. Enough not to destroy it." "Fair enough." Jump Close - sketch by douglas brent smith, March, 2026
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Still Going Up?

  Still Going Up? -- mixed media, collage by douglas brent smith, 1998, from Journal #33, Life In Progress. NOTES: Usually, I crop the spiral binding out of the picture. This time I decided to leave it in and show the whole page. It provides some idea of what each of the journals from this period are like. Big pages and many of them. The clip art that makes guest appearances is primitive, sure, but maybe a little charming, too?
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bizarre ensemble duo

 bizarre ensemble duo -- sketch by douglas brent smith,  from "the bizarre chronicles, volume one" 1984
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Creativity is almost ready...

The less creative you feel, the closer you are to feeling creative again. -- douglas brent smith
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Going Up?

  Going Up? collage, mixed media by douglas brent smith, from Journal #33, Life In Progress, 1998
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Horse Named Hannah

  the horse got free in a galloping hurry needed something to read and a tall cup of milk I did post this earlier under the title "Who Let the Horse In." Here it is again.  Horse Named Hannah -- sketch by douglas brent smith, 1998, from Journal #33, Life In Progress
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Mr. Tudas on Ruts

The purest art comes from those who avoid the smoothed out perfect ruts. -- Harry X. Tudas 
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Both Faces

 Both Faces - Sketch by douglas brent smith
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