A Day at the Museum
36x36 oil on canvas. Black frame.
from my instagram post:
When I first saw this reference photo, it reminded me of my dad, taking me and my brothers to museums when we were little. Mom generally didn't go. (Probably for reasons of sanity.)
I remember the first time we went to the Franklin Institute. It has a giant beating heart that you can walk thru. I learned so much from that exhibit! For example, I learned that I'm terrified of giant beating hearts!
(Google it. It's ghastly.)
The giant beating heart also acts as an experiment: It can tell you whether or not you have claustrophobia. Turns out, I do. Though whether or not I already had claustrophobia, or developed it by being inside an enclosed space with the theme song from Jaws playing loudly through speakers, science will never know. (Chicken/egg.)
I just wanted to enjoy a day at a museum without having a panic attack and being forced to face my own mortality ... was that too much to ask?
At the end of the day, my dad allowed me and my two brothers to each buy one thing from the gift shop. This, in turn, allowed the Franklin Institute to buy a whole new wing of exhibits.
Many thanks to @negative_recovery_project for allowing me to use their photo as a reference! 🙏💙