ALONG FOR THE RIDE
It started with a drive to Colorado. An escape from routine, from pandemic isolation; a change of scenery. Along the way, somewhere in Texas off of I-20, Mike wanted to pull over for a picture of the bluebonnets. Larsson protested, preemptively tired from the long drive ahead of them, but Mike pulled over anyway.
That day, they discovered something truly beautiful, their eyes swimming in the sea of delicate petals alongside the familiar and endless asphalt road. Larsson was pleasantly surprised and surprisingly grateful.
In Colorado, the beauty stood out in contrast to “home.” The impressive mountains and wide, burnt sienna fields reminded them of the beauty in the world. Getting away shifted something in them.
Soon, drives to Texas were occurring with intense frequency until they too became part of the routine.
Nearly every other weekend of 2020, Mike and his wife, Dolly, often accompanied by their children, Larsson and Maxey, would drive five hours to Taylor, TX to visit with Mike’s decade estranged, recently widowed mom, Selma.
Selma’s health had deteriorated; not suddenly, but rather due to untreated illness for several years. After the passing of her beloved husband, her health quickly took a turn. She was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and has since been hospitalized.
The journeys through Texas were always emotional. Reconnecting with a beloved family member whose mind and memories were fragmenting and whose dogs and home had been practically abandoned by circumstance—it was a lot. And while it was difficult to stomach the events, the beauty was there, in the decay and patina of those Texas roads—practically abandoned but no less magical, beautiful, inspiring.
Shreveport is where the McSwain’s have called home for the last 26 years. All roads lead here for these two. After driving to Colorado, through Texas several times over, up the long path to New York, and bombarded with images of truck stops and tumbleweeds along the way, suddenly “home” became just as inspiring.
They began to see the beauty in the mundane. On an average day, Larsson spotted a cardinal flittering away from a bird feeder in the yard barely long enough to recognize a flash of red, but it left a lasting impression in his mind. Mike admired the signage at the Lucky Liquor down the street and celebrated its primo design in watercolor. The two were buzzing to imagery like moths to the neon glow of the Southern Maid sign. Absence had made their hearts grow fonder. Shreveport had become part of the routine, but stopping to smell the roses was needed and welcome.
At the end of a few months together, they drove back to New York to drop off Larsson and Sugar, his dog who was previously cared for by Selma. It was clear this show was going to be about the beauty of a place travelled to and how that compliments the beauty of a familiar home.
They were seeing the world in a new light. The streets, the rest stops, the signage, the truck stops, the food, the associated emotions of the destinations at either end. It is the journey but why can’t it also be the destination? Along that drive, Mike drew every rest stop the two stopped at while Larsson walked his new doggy companion, Sugar. Passing mountains and the nation’s capital and rural America while making questionable meal choices and stopping every hour for coffee or snacks or stretches or bathroom breaks. They reveled in what they might have previously rued.
In New York, their destination, the hustle and bustle on the street makes for myriad compositions. Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens cover the walls with pigeons, Times Square, skyscrapers, and brownstones. Brooklyn is also Larsson’s current home.
Returning home with renewed vigor, the two set out to create 150+ pieces of art inspired by their time together on the road. This show is about the road as much as it is about home and as much as it is about the beauty in the everyday, no matter how amazing or horrifying or mundane or maddening. They hope that in sharing this scrapbook-like show, they can share the beauty with you. They’ve included process with the intent of emphasizing another journey: the process of putting together the show you’re here to see.
Are you Along for the Ride?