GALLERIES —

SPECIAL DELIVERY © 1997 Keith Halonen    oil on panel    18×14 in / 46×36 cm    $ 4,000 US

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After folding herself into a compact crouch position, I lifted my small step-daughter by her shins and gently slid her into our large size mail box. I then photographed her from a variety of angles. My intent was to use the photos to create a painting at some point in the future. At the time I just didn't realize that it would be almost twenty-five years in the future.      A word of caution is in order here. Don't try this at home. It's dangerous! Once inside the box, the child cannot escape unaided without some difficult struggle and a nasty tumble to the ground! This was a brave thing to do, considering that movement inside the cramped confines of the mail box was practically impossible. Also, it should be noted that the post office will not accept human cargo, even with proper postage attached.

Detail from SPECIAL DELIVERY

I've since managed to convince my diminutive niece to allow me to insert her into the same mail box. Her even smaller sister balked at the idea, held at bay by understandable claustrophobia. I'm not sure I really want to paint this scene a second time but it certainly is fun stuffing kids into mail boxes. Besides, it fits in with some of my obtuse criteria for posed scenes. It's a silly image, to be sure, but I have always been fascinated by the juxtaposition of unrelated elements. You just don't see a child in a mailbox all that often.      One last note to the viewer. The child in this picture is a grown woman now. Her eyes are as vivid blue today as they were when this scene was first contrived.

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