Today is Memorial Day in the U.S. and a good day to reflect on the sacrifices and service of men and women down through the decades who put themselves in harm’s way. I purposely avoid politics on Foolish Fire but occasionally I’m struck by images that may be construed that way, although what I like about this particular image is not only its equal measure of amusing and poignant qualities, politics not withstanding, but its quintessential optimism.
I did this gouache painting a few days ago from a photograph I made some years ago while photographing a neighborhood 4th of July celebration in Dublin, California, for the daily newspaper I worked for at the time. Dublin was featured in a popular book of photographs called “Suburbia”, published in 1973 by Bill Owens and was one of my early inspirations. So to Mr. Owens, a fellow photojournalist, and my fellow Americans of all political stripes, I dedicate this snap shot.