The Understanding Staircase

Ohio-inspired
Nomadic Series
acrylic on canvas
30 x 24"
Appalachian Gallery, Morgantown, WV



Pick up an Ohio map, and it isn’t hard to find something interesting to do. Ohio is one of those states, filled to the brim with diversity. The most difficult part of composing the Ohio-inspired painting was deciding what to leave out.

In “The Understanding Stairs,” the red carpet represents the warmth and hospitality of Mansfield, Ohio. The Mansfield Art Center currently represents the state of Ohio by displaying an Indiana-inspired painting until the end of 2006. The Mansfield community expressed overwhelming generosity and acceptance. During a presentation to the community, one woman came up from her seat with a buckeye. As she handed it over, she shared that it was for good luck.


In “The Understanding Stairs,” four bullet shells lie next to the buckeye. These shells represent each of the four students who were killed in the May 4th shooting at Kent state in 1970. A weekend of riots and protests, opposing the Vietnam War, ended when the National Guard opened fire on the campus. Four students: Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder were killed. Nine students were wounded. Of the wounded, one was permanently paralyzed, and several were seriously maimed. All were full-time students, some of which were not even part of the protesting.

The guitar fret staircase, and centerpiece for “The Understanding Stairs” came to mind while wondering through the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. The term “Rock & Roll” is claimed to have originated with DJ, Alan Freed while describing the up-tempo records he played in 1951. Turning a fret board into a staircase was inspired while visualizing an artist “stepping up” the fret board to share their soul through music. They’ve escaped the limitations of their strings and released a sound that would forever change the face of music.

The Amish carriage, in the distance, represents the growing population of Amish communities in Ohio. The state is home to the largest Amish population in America, and there are torn feelings about this. Shortly after leaving Ohio, shootings in an Amish schoolhouse took place. So far, six of ten female students that were shot, have died. Despite the horror of this tragedy, the family members of those shot have shown grace and forgiveness. It is a surprising reaction to those who are used responding with outrage and revenge. Upon this recent incident, which actually took place in a Pennsylvania school, it became important to illustrate the humble grace of the Amish in a painting that represents so many different emotions.

Symbolically, the woven sky represents an interlaced dependence on one another. This theme has become a reoccurring one, with the search for understanding a balance in social and ecological relationships. On a literal spectrum, Ohio is home to the world’s largest baskets. The Longenburger Office building, in Newark, Ohio, is designed to look like an actual basket. Not far from Newark, is the world’s largest woven basket, as well as the largest basket full of apples.