In the Cooking Pot

by Godfrey J. Ellis – 1992

This painting was done in 1992 as a joke for my niece Christina. I was then 42 years old. Christina’s son, Tyler, had crawled into a cooking pot that was sitting on the ground by their tent when they were camping in a mountain retreat. She shared a snapshot of the incident with me. With my warped sense of humor, I imagined the cooking pot actually, well… cooking. I thought it would be funny to put the pot on a stove complete with carrots and Mrs. Dash. Christina thought it was hilarious and loved it. At the time, I had just joined the Olympia Art Club. New members were encouraged to bring a recent painting. I made the mistake of taking this painting. Some members thought it was funny but some of the older ladies in the Club were horrified and offended, thinking that I was condoning, perhaps even promoting, child abuse! I could see that perspective, but it was only meant as a fit of whimsical fun with my grandnephew. You can make up your own mind if you like this or not. It was certainly fun to paint with all the little details like the fly on the wall and the Campbell’s hot pad holder. I’m not sure about the baby’s face. He looks more like a little old man or a gremlin!