Paul Bunyan with gun
Digital painting based on photo by artiist
20 by 13 inches approx
Copyright J Kearns
2006
Detail.
The photograph on which the painting is based was taken back in the early 90s and I can’t remember where but it would have been either Colorado or Wyoming (definitely someplace with close access to snow as snowmobiles were being sold). I looked at the listing of Paul Bunyan (aka Muffler Man) and mutant/hybrid statues at Roadside Amercia and I don’t see this guy there. If anyone knows where he was located, please let me know. I didn’t notice there being many of these statues with guns. Most have axes or carry nothing at all any longer.
Wan’t I positioned just perfectly in relation to the Big Guy. Like he’s looking right at you.
And of course, while working on this painting I ended up reading some Paul Bunyan tall tales to H.o.p. I had forgotten everything but his being a big guy and having Babe the Blue Ox as a pet.
Paul Bunyan’s favorite thing to do is clear whole mountain tops of trees in one fell sweep.
Which meant of course I showed H.o.p. pictures of clearcutting and we talked about that for a while.
“But trees are the lungs of the earth,” H.o.p. said, and like many eight-year-olds who understand trees are the lungs of the earth he announced the thing to do was to plant some trees. I said that was a good idea and we would get him one to plant somewhere. He will want to see the tree he plants rather than sending money to someone to plant a tree for him.
“Why did they give Paul Bunyan a gun?” H.o.p. asked.
I dunno.
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