Charleston Sunrise

Title

Charleston Sunrise

Artist

Frank Strasser

Medium

Painting - Acrylic On Canvas

Description

A few years ago my life and art were at a standstill. After living and working in Venice, California for 40 years, I needed a change of scenery and new inspiration. Out of the wild blue came an opportunity to drive 2,600 miles across America to deliver a cool little dog and a sporty car to a dear friend in Savannah, Georgia.

This adventurous Route 66 roadie, lead to an opportunity to move to Savannah. So, from December 2017 until November 2021 I lived in The South. I didn’t paint much during those four years because I worked full-time at a challenging full-time job conducting history tours. Studying The Civil War and learning about the remarkable architecture of the beautiful Hostess City left precious little time to dab paint onto the canvas.

Yet, even when I’m not actively painting, I work on my art in other ways. I snap hundreds of photographs, I study the local landscape while I stroll or drive. Over the years, I’ve composed several paintings rolling down highways or stuck at red lights all over America listening to Pink Floyd or Mozart. It was an inspirational if not a productive time for me as an artist.

In 20i8, at a routine checkup, doctors discovered a basal cell carcinoma tumor on my inner ear which had spread dangerously close to my brain. It was highly recommended that I visit The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston. about 2 hours north of Savannah.

In January 2019, the incredible Dr. Joel Cook performed a three-hour surgical procedure to remove the cancerous tumor. I spent the next year making regular trips to MUSC for follow-ups. My left ear had essentially been torn apart and had to be rebuilt. On days off work, I often set off on four-hour roundtrips across the spectacular low country, listening to music and soul-searching.

This painting was directly inspired by. the beautiful golden which lit up the sky on the morning after my intensive surgery. On the long thoughtful drive home to Savannah, I distinctly recall feeling so incredibly blessed to be alive. Whatever residual physical I felt seemed to diminish as I rolled across a vast expanse of the magnificent low country. As a great blue heron soared past I was filled with a profound appreciation for the precious gift of life.

I remain forever grateful to the folks at MUSC for their incredible care. My cancer scare and brush with death also gave me the impetus to take my art and life more seriously. I ended up completing about ten paintings while I was in Savannah. I sold all of the others before I returned back home to California a few months ago. Golden Dawn hangs in my room and is still for sale. Soon it will bring the gift of color and light to a happy new home.

Uploaded

January 21st, 2022

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