A donut and bat walk into a bar…

Hey Reader,

I turned 50 earlier this month. As with any birthday, it’s always a time of reflection and introspection. I have this deep-seeded need to make people laugh (or at least smile). I think it comes from my dad? He was a jokester in a very thought-provoking way. You would slap your knee while pondering the absurdities of life. Clearly that stuck with me.

Through my paintings, I like to weave a bit of a yarn: A screaming bat being blessed by a donut as a halo surrounded in gold leaf. An initial play on religious icon paintings, it twists the narrative around by featuring a maligned, yet natural creature like the bat as a saint. A donut (a food that almost everyone craves) as a halo hovers above. The twist? Which is good and which is evil? The bat is a part of this world. An evolved natural creature and a necessity for our ecology (pollination, natural pest control, seed dispersal, etc.) The common donut, on the other hand, is a highly processed, man-made sugary treat with all the makings for an unhealthy life choice.

At the end of the day I just want to watch some bats and eat a donut. The painting is simply a screeching bat with a donut. Surreal. Funny. Smile-inducing at worst. Laugh out loud, thought provoking at best. What do you think?

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Add Sprinkles,
-Will

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THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW

The largest donut ever made weighed 1.7 tons and was 16 feet in diameter. It was created in Utica, New York, in 1991.

Upcoming In-Person Events

October 12th, 4-8 p.m. – Oconee County Bat Festival, Heritage Park, Watkinsville, GA