The excitement of that first love creates memories that will last
a lifetime, revisited in our minds again and again down through
the years. At this point, we still have all the magic of a small
child; any fairytale ending is possible—and probable.
I chose a football game as the backdrop for this picture
because for many, it, and sports in general are a substantial
focus of the adolescent years. Also, a cheerleader and
football player seem to serve in the minds of many as a
stereotypical high school couple, seen in high profile
wandering the school hallways attached to each other in some
way or another. They have become, whether accurate or not,
hero and heroine of countless stories depicting the passage
from adolescent into adult.
The single floodlight dispelling the darkness represents the
overpowering light of that first love. In the dark, confusing
years of adolescent adjustments, in the midst of becoming one
giant hormone, first loves can provide some enlightened
stability.
Note the score on the scoreboard across the field. It tells the
story of a hard fought win—or loss—we don’t know which. Is
the cheerleader consoling or congratulating her warrior? Is
a lifetime, revisited in our minds again and again down through
the years. At this point, we still have all the magic of a small
child; any fairytale ending is possible—and probable.
I chose a football game as the backdrop for this picture
because for many, it, and sports in general are a substantial
focus of the adolescent years. Also, a cheerleader and
football player seem to serve in the minds of many as a
stereotypical high school couple, seen in high profile
wandering the school hallways attached to each other in some
way or another. They have become, whether accurate or not,
hero and heroine of countless stories depicting the passage
from adolescent into adult.
The single floodlight dispelling the darkness represents the
overpowering light of that first love. In the dark, confusing
years of adolescent adjustments, in the midst of becoming one
giant hormone, first loves can provide some enlightened
stability.
Note the score on the scoreboard across the field. It tells the
story of a hard fought win—or loss—we don’t know which. Is
the cheerleader consoling or congratulating her warrior? Is
he victorious or vanquished? He certainly is
reliving what went on out on that field in his mind’s eye. We all do that with hard won wins or losses, whether
they are a job interview, a project we just completed, a large purchase, or a relationship terminated. We
review the choices we made and the results of those choices. We celebrate what we did right and agonize
over what we did wrong.
This is also a quick snapshot of male/female relationships. In general, men are about conquering, whether it
is a sports team, a project, a fish, or a problem in general, often displaced from their emotions. Women are
about relationships, emotional nurturing and balance. I tried to reflect that generalization in the body
language and facial expressions of the couple in this drawing.
The fence is one of the hardest things I’ve ever drawn. I discovered that a chain link fence is so precise, one
misdrawn link compounds upon itself until the whole darn thing looks warped. I finally resorted to developing
a mathematical formula to keep it as balanced as possible. It seemed to work for the most part, but anytime
something is drawn by hand, there are imperfections. The fences we build in life are the same way. None is
perfect at keeping our demons out, nor completely safeguarding our secrets. There’s always a warped or
missing link that allows someone to get to our heart and either wow it or wound it. But ultimately, all fences
are ineffectual. The core truth is that the healing or hurting of our heart is eventually up to us. That door
opens from the inside and we hold the key.
The fence in this drawing represents the unseen barrier to our past. The football player is replaying the game
in his mind’s eye. The fence separates him from actually being on that field again. Would he do it
differently? Or is he just relishing the replays? Truth is, he can never have a second chance to change that
scoreboard or to experience the same game again. And so it is with that first love of our lives. We spend
years revisiting it, looking back on it, wishing we could change one thing or another to affect the
“scoreboard”, but alas, the “fence of time” separates us from ever going back. We must learn that it is but
only one of many Stages of Life we must play on.
| 3. First Love A Personal Note from the Artist |
| Actual Image Size: 16”x 20” |
| Copyright Bruce Carnahan All Rights Reserved |
12 Stages of LifeTM
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