Although I painted this in a 3 day frenzy, I’ve been hesitant to post it, because stringing together words that may shed a light on the feelings we’ve all suffered has proved much more daunting.

Further, I suppose it’s because this is the last form of farewell I have, to not merely an individual, but an era of friendship & a sense of childhood.

I wanted to work large, to try and encompass an entire world. I wanted make the figures small, becoming a background of youth enjoying this world when it was still easy & innocent. When the days moved fast, and no one thought about the need to soak it all in, or an inevitable goodbye.

I can clearly remember the fellas & I at Jeffery Stone this day, just another carefree day. We lounged & laughed, shouted & swam, and after a while, made our way to Thriller: roughly a 115 foot cliff face, with a 15 foot easement you could climb down to a proper outcrop. We scrambled down to the overlook, & gazed longingly over the ledge. Taking turns fantasizing about who would eventually make the leap, as none of us had ever yet dared, I heard a stamper of running feet and a confident, “watch out boys!”. Always pushing the limit, and never afraid of something certainly worthy of intimidation, Tanner came flying from the top shelf. Without a second thought, our man sent a flawless gainer over the top of us & out into the unknown. In my mind, he’s still flying, as it’s that child like joy he met life with, & the infectious love for the thrill that I’ll always cherish, trying to embody.

Parallel, these are the memories I’ll always hold dear, letting lost souls shine in their most sacred moments. This painting isn’t just for Tanner, but for another brother of mine, Eric Clark, who went away down the same course. Another brother I’ll always love, that I never got to squeeze enough. Visiting the ICU and painting Tanners hand to lay down this final print was one of the hardest things I’ve done, but I’d give the world to have one of yours as well. Beyond these two, this is a dedication to an epidemic, & everyone we’ve lost through addiction and the almighty struggle. This is an ode to summer, a tribute to youth, & a farewell to innocence.