Gonna Sing My Head Off

Dale Fairbanks
Solo Exhibition at the Anchorage Museum of History and Art
Anchorage, Alaska

"Mama don't allow no singin' round here...Gonna sing my head off anyhow!"

I am in my element. These are my colored, sparkling jewels: wrapped with my grandfather in his swing, Sweet Chariot his sole repertoire, my grandmother's ole gray goose dead, a pistol hidden under flowers in her basket, and me...loud, obnoxious, consistently off-key and always out of tune.

I paint what I sing. I paint what I encounter, what I hear, what I see, what I am jostled by in the street. I paint what weighs heavy upon my heart. I paint what brings me delight and joy. I paint what scares me blind. I paint with blowers wide open and hold back not a thing. I paint without longing for acknowledgment and I paint with no dread of appearing foolish.

I paint just like I sing: loud, obnoxious, consistently off-key and always out of tune. 

 Items Featured in Exhibit (Click photo to view painting)