Midnight Matinee; I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride it now!

I can just picture all of Missoula tucked in tight for a good nights sleep, the last hues of pink disappearing behind the silhouette of peaks....and down the still, shadowed, lamp-lit streets I pedal my favorite vintage bicycle, cool air waking up all of my senses.  I'm on a joyride, gleaming with happiness as I pass all of the storefronts, some darkened and some still serving.  The Wilma Theater’s many bulbs light the way as the BEEP BEEP’s of my bike horn bounce from the Merc to the Missoulian.  What a thrill.

Midnight Matinee; I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride it now! is part of the "Centripetal Satire" series in which I combine Fraktur (PA German Folk-Art) and Scherenscnitte (German paper-cutting) with watercolor.  In my research of Fraktur, I was quickly drawn to the circular shape of columns and cuts of a piece completed by a schoolmaster from the early 1800's (to compensate for their small wages, schoolmasters made and sold Frakturs such as birth and marriage certificates).  Putting my spin on the circle, I intricately weave familiar objects which wrap around telling a fun story.  Within each of my creations I am sure to include some type of irony- I feel it makes the story more interesting and clever.  Don't you wish you could go to a movie at midnight and pay matinee price?  My movie is free; the sights, sounds, smells and emotions I encounter during my late night ride.

Most 16 year olds were asking for a set of four wheels and chrome to drive them and their friends to the football game on Friday nights- I on the other hand was set on two spoked wheels and titanium to see the small corner of "My World" a few MPG's slower; no gas here, my legs were the gallons and when they gassed out I was late for supper.

I felt FREE as I coasted the rolling hills and pedaled the farm land.  You know what made me pedal faster?  Passing the pig farm on a hot day, racing an Amish buggy, out-riding the viscous attack dog on Highway 48 and staying ahead of the thunderstorms.  

I've been away from PA for quite some time and make my home with my husband Monte in Montana.  I left my bicycle in the Appalachian’s and haven't had the opportunity to introduce it to the Rockies.  This piece has been integral in my long wait, bringing me a bit closer to one of my enjoyments.  I can just hear Queen singing, "I want to ride my bicycle I want to ride it now" as he’s accompanied by the many vintage bicycle bells.  I will be patient and one day I will be able to say, "Look Monte, no hands."