For three summers (‘05 – ‘07) I worked as an employee of the Milwaukee County Parks system. It meant a lot of time in the sun, by the wading pool or cutting grass, and a lot of farmer’s tan as a result. In 2006, I worked at Alcott Park in Greenfield, a southwest suburb of Milwaukee. Alcott has a lot of open field space, two untended softball diamonds, a pavilion building and wading pool. Every 4th of July there is a big County Parks celebration, where the parade ends, with events all day and fireworks at night. I spent most of my time there by the wading pool, however. Here are two drawings I did during my stint as a “wading pool supervisor”:

Both were done in some sort of marker/pen, and I believe both are on the back of wading pool daily operation forms. The first is a view across the pool, toward the park’s playground. You can see the fountain of the pool in the foreground. The second looks out of the pool entrance toward the fields of the park. A light pole and softball batting cage are featured prominently. Looking back on these, I’m reminded of how an artist doesn’t need expensive materials to create works. At the time, creating art wasn’t figuring in my future career plans, but I’m also reminded of the choices I made and how they logically fit within my path as an artist.

On another note, here’s a terrific video of my friend TJ, who visited me at work one time: TJ in the wading pool.