Ghost Town III
$1,800.00
watercolor on 300lb Fabriano paper
14.25" x 14.25", in 22" x 22" natural wood frame with UV Protective glass and acid free matte
This one, “Ghost Town III” is from the 2012 “Haunts” series, a body of work that included a few watercolors made while thinking about the forces of displacement and what is lost, what is scattered and what carries on. If sold, I will donate 40% of the proceeds to Anera (anera.org), an organization gathering and distributing aid to Palestine, and 40% to Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy, (tongva.networkforgood.com) a land trust in Tovaangar / Los Angeles.
It feels important to let whoever may end up with this painting know certain personal history embedded in it. It’s special to me on multiple levels. It was a favorite of and belonged to my friend Jeff, who passed away in 2014. He was one of the most generous, bizarre, aggravating, and encouraging people I’ve ever been close to. He was a good watercolorist who, on my 22nd birthday, gave me my first full set of fancy professional grade watercolors, an extravagance completely put of my reach at the time. His family gave “Ghost Town III” back to me after his death and I’ve kept it out of public exhibitions. It never felt quite right to exhibit or commodify it, and I thought it would stay with me and Ako forever. It may yet still, but this context feels appropriate, like something Jeff would enthusiastically support. Even putting this on social media is somehow something I think Jeff would find strange pleasure in. He was a total weirdo and, though it took years for me to really see it, a deeply moral thinker. Back in the 90's he would bring up this name, “Netanyahu", with a tone of skepticism and concern while my dim teenaged understanding of things could only faintly register what he was talking about. He was the first person who made me aware of the work of Edward Said. Jeff looked at the world with alarm, humor and compassion, spoke in waves of disillusionment and hope. He saw a lot of what was happening and what would come to pass. Anyway, just to let you know, this piece that Jeff liked and lived with is totally haunted, but benevolently so.