If truth be told, I am not really a clown person. The make-up always seems a bit scary to me and the face behind the make-up in most cases, seems sad or mad or an emotion that is not really happy.
But, I do find the costumes quite interesting. Bright colors and odd accessories. So, this could explain why my camera was low to the ground, able to capture this
clown’s oversized shoes pushing a scooter in the Reston Town Center’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
This image was taken a few years back, in 2013 and I have always liked the colors, the shadow and the idea of a faceless clown. Clown feet are funny enough for me. My husband liked the picture as well and we thought it would make a good addition to the collection of “pop” imagery that we were putting together for the Salon Arlington Show (a bi monthly art event in Arlington http://salonarlington.com/), this past weekend.
I asked my oldest son, home from his first semester in college, what this photo meant to him and he replied, thoughtfully, “it’s a metaphor for a person’s journey in life…having big shoes to fill.” This is doubly interesting coming from a guy with size 15 shoes himself. I appreciated hearing his insight, since for most of the break, he slept past noon and played video games. But, good to know his brain didn’t completely turn to mush during the holiday.
Two of my photos sold at Salon Arlington and one of them was Clown Shoes. The man who purchased the image asked me a little about the story behind the photo. It turns out that he was a friend of one of the other artists, a cartoonist named Mike Jenkins. I had taken a few photos of Mike working from a model as a part of his demonstration. Mike emailed me a thank you and mentioned that his friend, who had purchased the Clown Shoes, was turning 60 this week and he had put the Clown Shoes by his bed-perhaps to remind himself of other inspirational quotes, like” You are only as old as you feel”, or “Put your best foot forward.”
Nevertheless, my photo had accomplished exactly what I had hoped. It made someone smile, added whim to someone’s day and gave me a little bit of insight into my son’s mind as he continues on his college journey.
How do you feel about clowns or filling big shoes? Let me know and leave me a comment.
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