Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Portrait of the Footist

My son is a creative type. He is seven, and he will grab a handful of printer paper and crayons and draw entire comic books of Indiana Jones and Star Wars, then staple them together on the spine just like a real book. He has always loved to snag my camera and take pictures too, of his favorite show on the TV set, of the ceiling, of toys. Some are compelling, but many are out of focus and I just delete them. When he was four, he shot this one of his foot, and the menace is tangible, as if Darth Vader is just over his shoulder.


Three years later, his photographic foot fetish is still in evidence, but in this shot he goes with the other foot, probably to change things up a bit and keep the critics guessing, plus he adds a sandal into the mix, I assume, to mock society's addiction to bourgeois materialism. Also seen are his sister's shoes, tucked under the coffee table, unused and half-hidden, as if to say who needs shoes? My big sister doesn't! Power to the proletariat!


Imagine what he will be capable of saying about society and feet when he is 10.