FATHER’S DAY

Today I am remembering my father, Richard MacLean. Born of an immigrant mother, he was a child of the depression. He grew up strong in the CC Camps and fought in the Pacific in World War II. After the war he returned to Boston, married Marjory Foss and had two kids. He worked installing burglar alarms all around Boston until retirement. Richard kept the same job and same wife and retired a happy and loyal man. In his retirement years, he enjoyed recycling old tools. We would go to garage sales with him, looking for junk that he could turn into treasure. He taught me to respect what’s been left behind or thrown away and his values have certainly influenced my artwork. 

Here is Dad in the cellar looking over his “collection”.
A few years back I did a portrait of him, entitled “Who Will Build the City Up Each Time?” I used spray paint and acrylic on canvas and then framed it in recycled wood. The letters and numbers reference his initials and social security number. As a soldier and a worker, Richard was often seen as just a 'number.' The piece was in the “The Artists Among Us” exhibit at the Burchfield Penney in 2012.  Dad got to see himself in a museum – a highlight for both of us!  Dad passed away in January 2015. I miss and honor him today.