9    “Patriotism"        2001          
Acrylic on canvas          46 x 68”     

The outpouring of patriotism and flag-waving after the event was enormous.   Everyone wanted to show their support.   My younger daughter was in a 3 year old class at the West Village Nursery School and I thought it would be nice to make a flag using the kids’ hand prints.   I prepared the canvas with underpainting and on one fine Saturday, brought it over to the school’s annual Fall Fest.   Blotting their hands onto a kitchen towel soaked with red paint, the kids then placed their hands on top of the pale red stripes.   For the white of the stars, they dipped fingers into a small jar of white paint.   The whole project was great fun, collaborating with 2-4 year old kids.   As we were nearing completion, someone came up and said they had just seen a flag like this in front of a nearby firehouse, proving that good ideas are rarely unique.