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I was born in 1958. The Beverly Hillbillies debuted in
1961, and was seen weekly across the country through 1972. I
grew up identifying with Elly May’s love for animals, and
scoffing at Jethro’s idiocy. Jed was not just the patriarch of
the Clampett family; he was the paradigm of the simple, honest
man. Granny tickled and amused me, and Mr. Drysdale’s obsession
with money helped form my political views and social
consciousness. Mrs. Drysdale helped me know the kind of person
I did not want to be; I shun her type even today. In short, I
was as affected by the Beverly Hillbillies as were most people
of my generation.
When I was invited to
exhibit my work at a theatre production of the famous sitcom, I
was dumbfounded as to what I could show. Nothing I had ever
done, I thought, would fit with the theme. So I decided to
create a series of paintings and as is so often the case, the
execution of the art led me to understand my connection with the
subject. As I researched the project and watched old episodes
online, I was transported back to a time and place which had
been living, unknown to me, in my subconscious. So, come listen
to my story about a man named Jed…
I created these pieces
in a fashion which was completely new to me. I knew that I
wanted to portray the characters in a 60’s psychedelic fashion,
kind of Andy Warhol meets Peter Max while listening to Donavan.
I really didn’t know how to do it, though. I had been messing
around with Photoshop for several years, always marveling at the
wonders of digital manipulation (the computer kind, I mean).
Likewise, I have been painting since I was a kid. The twain had
never really met in my work, however, until this series. I
began by designing the pieces on the computer, using Photoshop
to manipulate images of the characters. I used a combination of
filters until I had something I liked, and started plugging in
colors which I rarely use. Lime green, day-glow orange, and deep
turquoise all had me itching to go read The Electric Kool Aid
Acid Test once again. Once I had what I thought was a good
start, I sent the images on to a local print shop. The good
people there printed the images in grayscale on canvas, and I
had my schematic ready to go.
Once I began laying
colors on the canvas, I discovered that the brush had ideas of
its own. Some of my planned images were changed, some were
nearly completely concealed, and others were discarded. What was
left were portraits of America’s First Family. I portrayed
Jethro’s world as chaotic, full of wild colors, evil influences
and misguided sentiments. I understood Miss Jane as a very
complex being, saintly on one level (she had to be, putting up
with Mr. Drysdale all those years!) and esoteric on the other.
None of us knew the depths of Miss Jane’s soul, or the inner
recesses of her heart.
Jed has been portrayed
as a being who has reached enlightenment. He has streams of
light pouring out from behind his head, and the fist on the chin
signifies that although he is a simple man, he ponders the
mysteries of life. I saw Granny as a sorceress of her world.
Her ability to forecast the weather and concoct her famous
remedies as well as moonshine is alluded to by the “frame” of
runes and symbols of sorcery. And then there is Elly, seductive,
innocent, and with that dedicated love for the innocents of the
planet. She has been surrounded with her four-legged and winged
friends. The Drysdales have been portrayed as shallow, money
hungry status seekers who represent the worst which our country
has to offer. I have surrounded them with symbols of avarice,
currency and status.
I have
had great fun creating these portraits of the characters from
the television series. I watched many episodes online
while I was executing the paintings, and I laughed as hard then
as I had several decades ago. The Clampetts and their kin are a part of the
American experience of the 1960s and 1970s which won’t be
forgotten for a few more years, I am sure.
Lori K Gordon
July 2008
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