Bluebell: First Prize

Bluebell: First Prize; collage by Gayle Pritchard

I grew up in a small town in the Midwest during the 1960s. Like most kids who grew up then, I had the freedom to roam. The post-World War II neighborhoods were designed for kids and stay-at-home moms, and featured large picture windows in both the front and the back of the house. So, even though my mom worked full time, there were other moms in houses up and down the street watching through wide windows as the pack of neighborhood kids roamed from one unfenced yard to another all day long and well into the long summer nights.

There were a ton of kids to play with. I had many siblings, walked to the local school, received a great education, had a fantastic and progressive art teacher, and a high school guidance counselor who saved my life.

Detail of Pink House, an assemblage by Gayle Pritchard

The imagery from that time period still figures prominently in my artwork. Because my work arises from personal musings, that's no surprise. You can see and read more about that on my website.

I think part of the pull for me is also my interest in family history. My parents died when I and they were relatively young. Feeling orphaned, even in my thirties, diving into genealogy research helped me to feel connected to the greater history of my family. I felt part of something larger. It was comforting. It still is. Decades ago, I wrote this poem, Voices From the Past about that feeling:











                                              Voices from the past call out to me;

They are my roots and my beginning,

but they are gone.

I see them in misty vapors,

in clouds which I cannot touch;

deep inside, I feel them.

Their voices echo in the woods,

Calling out from distant places,

yet they are near, within.

Faded smiles in aged photographs whisper;

Glinting eyes, which hold secrets not revealed,

will not be silent.

Our voices join in the chorus of remembrance,

together harmonizing in the deep unknown

before stillness falls.

Pink House, assemblage by Gayle Pritchard