Aozora (Blue Sky) watercolor and acrylic, Second Place and People's Choice Award in the 2026 Fairfield Art Association Member Show

The Saint Says

The Saint Says

See, see, see —

so this seer

sees with eyes

open or behind

closed lids

This attending

cries out for action

to turn the seeing

into something seen

by other seers

Sounds and squiggles,

symbols and signs —

threads that bind

inner and outer
pieces of wholeness

"Threads that Bind," oil on paper, Care Connet 2017

"The Saint Says," Care Connet 2018

lamppost cloaked in black

lamppost cloaked in black --

screaming red, pink, green burst forth,

clamoring to be seen

Like an archeologist's pick, the ravages of time have chipped away the surface layer of an urban artifact, uncovering its history and simultaneously creating brilliant abstract art. On Main Street in the tiny Midwestern town of Eldon, Iowa, a lamppost is being stripped of its staid black exterior, revealing exotic under layers, like an embroidered scarlet petticoat peeping out from under a Victorian woman's prim black dress.

perception depends

perception depends

on perspective -- abstract art

or a Pepsi sign

On the main street of Eldon, Iowa, a gigantic red, white and blue sign painted on the side of an old brick building outshines the modern brick City Hall next door. Even though the paint on the Pepsi sign is slowly peeling away, it's clear enough from a distance to let you know that Hughes Brothers is a grocery store. Up close, the crackled paint looks like abstract art. You have to move away from the wall to see the big graphic design, still holding its iconic image together as the paint pulls apart.