" FISH IN A TOUCAN MASK "
James Christensen

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March 2014 - Fish In A Toucan Mask - James Christensen

“Inevitably, there will be a time when we are called upon to jump on stage and entertain. Some can conjure up William Shakespeare, some a great soft-shoe and still others, an impressive John Wayne. The rest of us, with more average skills, may feel we have to puff-up our simpler, one-trick magic acts by, say, dressing up our pet fish. We may add some extravagant attire and perform with authority and professionalism to help us find our own audience. But if we really thought about it, if we were to remove that mask, we realize a fish that floats in the air out of water is quite an extraordinary.

"Fish in a Toucan Mask" is one of a series of three paintings Christensen created around entertainers aggrandizing their one-trick acts. Closely related are "The Great Garabaldi" and "Levi Levitates a Stone Fish." In each, the magician becomes more flamboyant, more comfortable with his on-stage presence, the show overwhelming the act of magic itself. Yet, with each, there is still magic in the air.

“I’ve always felt that defining a spiritual experience is very much like trying to define love. Writers and poets have tried to express ‘love’ in words for hundreds of years. Some things we read give us a feeling or a cue about what love is like, but nothing ever really gets it right. Love is beyond words. It is nonverbal and the attempt to explain it in language trivializes the moment to some extent.

“Every once in a while the Lord will give you an ‘aha’ moment when he deems that you need one. For me, he chose trash night. I was carrying the trash can down the driveway and all of a sudden I just lit up. I was consumed with light and warmth. I can remember it today as clearly as the moment it happened. I thought I was on fire. My soul was filled. I just stood there for seconds, holding the trash can, feeling out of space and time. It then just gradually dissipated. 

“No words were spoken out loud, but when I set the trash can down, I thought, ‘I’m going to be called to serve the Church.’ Even though I was anxious and felt overwhelmed and under qualified, I knew that the Lord wanted me there and I knew that with his help, I could fulfill the calling. 

“I painted the fire in this image with gold leaf, so when from across the room, the gold catches the light and reminds me of a twenty-nine-year-old junior high school teacher taking out the trash.”

Fish In A Toucan Mask - James Christensen

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