In the Margins

Chad VanGaalen - “Willow Tree”

“Our lives are of little importance,” said Rebecca, to the figure in her favourite painting. The painting is old and has a traditional frame and hangs on her mustard-coloured wall. The figure inside is looking at the artist, at the audience, standing on a windy grassy hill. Rebecca is tall so the picture is hung high, higher even than her eye-level, so the figure looks like it is looking down at the viewer, or over the viewer's head. An obvious position of superiority.

The rain has been non-stop. The whole east coast has had rainy days for three weeks straight. Biking in the rain, even the change in Rebecca's pocket is wet by the time she gets where she's going. The bank, the library, the video store, a potluck, a vernissage, the movies, a date, nothing special.

- Dan Beirne