Honest to Goodness Breathing Life
Kassie Sprague Tayor"What I want to find in my painting is life itself. Honest to goodness, breathing life. The startling thing about the difference between a painting and the actual object is the aliveness of the object as the eye sees it. It has volume, color, and in some instances, a scent. It may move, jump out in perspective or retreat into the distance. In fact, we are so involved in our own surroundings that we become unconscious of them. Perhaps I cannot paint a picture that will wreak with the actual odors of the scene, but I may be able to convey the feeling of reality enough to inspire some mental sniffing. I am only equipped with a two-dimensional surface, but by playing my colors right I'm sure that I can bring about the third dimension in the real sense that I seek."
Al Sprague, Artisti's Journal, June 14, 1964
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Roberto y Amigo, 2021
Fishing and Bobby Hummer were two things Dad loved his entire life. Bobby was Dad's oldest and dearest friend. The two were inseparable. From an early age Dad and Bobby would spend as much time as possible fishing. I grew up hearing the stories about these two boys who would spend hours sitting at the edge of the Balboa Yacht Club pier fishing for "the big corvina" that live underneath.
In 2021, Bobby Hummer passed away. It was difficult for my Dad to let go of such a close friend. At the time of his death, Dad was working on Roberto y Amigo and decided to dedicate the painting to his oldest and dearest friend Bobby by naming the painting after him.
There is so much life in this painting. When looking at it, I can feel the warmth of the sunshine as it rises. I can feel the heaviness of the humidity and dampness in the air, smell the salt in the wind as it blows across the water. I see two fishermen in their boat hoping that this day will result in a boatload of fish. In addition, I see the similarities between two Panamanian fishermen and two American friends.
The friendship between Dad and Bobby will live on for years to come through Roberto y Amigo.