Stumbling Through Memories

16" x 20" x 1.5"
Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas

The recent move and coming across lots of boxes filled with things that trigger memories has really stirred up some feelings I had forgotten about, sort of like dust being raised when you lift things you haven't touched in years. That's how the title for this new painting emerged.

We got Apple TV in our new house, it's a really fun new toy. We have music playing through every room in the early evenings, and it just makes that hectic time of day a little more tolerable when you can listen to something mellow. I complied an all-DMB playlist, and although I've heard the song, "Grey Street" a million times, it struck a chord with me last week when I listened to the lyrics. It's a deceiving song because it has such a light and happy melody, but the lyrics are much darker than the tune implies. I really worked from that place in my latest painting.

Oh look at how she listens
She says nothing of what she thinks
She just goes stumbling through her memories
Staring out onto Grey St.
And she thinks...hey
How did I come to this
I dreamed myself thousand times around the world
But I can't get out of this place
There's an emptiness inside her
And she'd do anything to fill it in
But all the colors mix together
To grey, and it breaks her heart

Oh how she wishes it was different
She prays to God most every night
And though she swears He doesn't listen
There's still a hope in her He might
She says I pray
But they falls on deaf ears
Am I supposed to take it on myself
To get out of this place
There's a loneliness inside her
And she'd do anything to fill it in
And though it's red blood bleeding from her now,
It feels like cold blue ice in her heart
When all the colors mix together
It's grey, and it breaks her heart

There's a stranger speaks outside her door
Says take what you can from your dreams
Make them real as anything
It will take the work out of the courage
She says please
There's a crazy man creeping that's outside my door
I live on the corner of Grey Street
And the end of the world

Oh there's an emptiness insider her
And she'd do anything to fill it in
And though it's red blood bleeding from her now
It's more like cold blue ice in her heart
She feels like kicking out all the windows
And setting fire to this life
She could change everything about her
Using colors bold and bright
But all the colors mix together
To grey
And it breaks her heart...Oh and it breaks her heart