Dr. Boots, with whom I work frequently at the hospital, distilled down to remove all corporeal form, yet still embody the spirit of a clown. I didn’t really mean to channel him, but when I pulled the idea of “traditional clown” out of the ether, that’s what came out. Whenever I paint a clown, I am always self-conscious to not make them look "pretty," "cute" or "happy." The ideas of a "happy clown" or a "sad clown," to me, are overly simplistic. Clowns, being a fun-house mirror image of the human soul, all have a full range of emotion. Anyone who always shows the same emotion is either not that deep or they're hiding something. A true Clown has looked into their soul and has made friends with their imperfections and foibles, warts and all. But I digress.
One of my favorite thoughts on the subject is from Bill Irwin, Macarthur Award-winning Clown and Tony award winner (and hero of mine) ... An interviewer said, 'it must be great to have a job where you make people happy." Mr. Irwin replied, "I don't make people happy. I make them laugh. The happiness is up to them."
Zen poetry befitting a clown.
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