"Sheriff Rock" Acrylic on Wood
Tomorrow is the anniversary of my father's death. He was a truly great man who understood unconditional love and gave it to his family and friends freely. He always had time for us, he always listened and he always showed compassion. The past two years of my life have been filled with grief and sadness and longing just to talk to him. I wish he were here to tell me how to feel better about his passing, but all I can do is make art that honors his memory, and hope that he hears my prayers. I try to be like him as much as I can. My dad was great with little life lessons and celebrations. The picture of him below and to the left includes a quote from the Green Sheet that he kept on his fridge for years. "In life its just as important to know what to forget than it is to know what to remember.". In 1997 Dad escorted me to the Father Daughter Formal at Pius XI. As I was a member of Catholic Leadership, I asked him to help give out communion at the Father Daughter mass the next morning. I will never forget how each time someone said "amen", he said thank you. Maybe he did not always say the exact right words, the words always came from his heart and were full of love. The last time we were together before he was actively dying was my wedding. In spite of his pain and suffering, he did everything he could to make it a special day. Dad, you live in my heart forever. Thank you for always being there for me no matter what.
Alder Flat, Clackamas River, Oregon
The Alder Flat Campground on the Clackamas River is a great place to be a kid for a day and chase around frogs and climb on big rocks. Here are some more photos from my trip there yesterday. My dog Bo Brady and I had quite an adventure at the Clackamas River yesterday. I highly recommend camping or picnicking at the Alder Flat campground if you live in Oregon. Its about an hour from SE Portland. The parking lot is on HWY 224 and the hike in to the river is an easy mile. Great wading, fishing, and sunbathing abound. Bring bug spray this time of year for sure. The best part, no fee, and usually quiet because of the hike in and lack of toilets and water I suppose. Remember to pack it in and pack it out and keep this gem pristine and serene for all. Bo Brady and I were wading around a miniature lagoon and came upon this frog from who let us get pretty close. I have enjoyed using different filters and colors to really bring him out in the photos. It was actually pretty difficult to see him as he blended in so well with the sand and water. I have been having very vivid dreams of my father. I think my subconscious was alerting me to the date. On August 15th it will be two years since I lost him. Before he died I did not understand the significance of death anniversaries, but now I find it impossible to ignore this and other dates throughout the year that were important to him. Grief has changed me and I wonder what he would think about my life now. No one promised me that that the pain would be better by now, but I somehow thought that "after a couple of years" I would be more at peace with it, that the pain would have dulled. It has not and I still think of him very often throughout the day. I don't know if I will ever miss him less, but I do know that I was lucky to have him. I pay tribute to his memory with an ongoing project I call Watching. I took this photo when a childhood friend and I took a snack break behind the falls on the Triple Falls Hike in the Columbia River Gorge in July of this year. I knew that this grotto would be the kind of spot my dad would have truly enjoyed exploring. He was an adventurous and curious soul and that spirit inspires the art that I make. For more click the Watching http://meganmcgrorty.weebly.com/watching.html tab. Having trouble finding a unique gift for someone special? I am now taking commissions to make personalized art boxes. I will work with you to incorporate meaningful images as well as specific text at any price range.
Here is the latest art box I made for a friend's 35th birthday. In this example, I built a house-like structure that also references books as a starting point. Then, I used images that were symbolic of places she had lived and things she has studied. To convey her sense of adventure I included images that were fantastical or associated with travel. Additionally, I placed a lot of different animals throughout the house, highlighting her love of all animals. Email me at [email protected] or via the Talk to Me http://meganmcgrorty.weebly.com/talk-to-me.html tab if you are interested in commissioning something. I would love to work with you. |
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