22 inches x 17 inches

Hand signed and numbered. Edition of 125 Giclee prints using archival inks
on 100% acid free Hahnemühle Etching Paper

I began to read a lot after college. Some of the exotic tales stirred my imagination. Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie is a book with a protagonist who was born at the exact moment of India’s independence at Midnight August 15, 1947. He’s telepathic and has a big nose. It’s a wonderful book and I wanted to put it into one of my narrative still lifes. I thought about the concept of independence. For many people, myself included, independence happens the moment you move out of your parents’ house and live on your own. It is an exciting time and produces lasting memories.  As is the case with all these paintings, they first started out as charcoal drawings. I started making the paintings several years later. I set up this still life with the theme of independence in mind. This was a typical breakfast for me after college. I drank tea at the time, ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and probably never touched the fruit bowl. And a lot of reading. The yellow background feels like freedom to me.