Inspired by "Urban Tundra"

I exhibited the above painting "Urban Tundra" at the Stark show at Foothills Art Center last year - while it was there some class groups came through and wrote about different works in the show. One nine year old student by the name of Roxi wrote a really touching story about this painting;

During the winter in the school year my mother sends me to school with two warm biscuits and half an apple. When I'm walking to school sometimes I will stop walking and eating to close my eyes and listen to the trains pass by and the mills working away. I can smell and almost taste the smoke in the air. I can feel the snow crystals piercing my skin. I wonder if I can see Papa working at the mills. I wonder when Papa will have a vacation to spend time with Mama, my little sister Mary, and I. When my Papa will say "Tell me a story, Elanor." But Papa never gets vacations from work. Almost everyone's dad works at the mills. When I go home Papa is tired and won't talk to me. Mary is tired too. A few years later the mills shut down and father has more time with us. Father will finally say, "Tell me a story, Elanor." Now we can see the stars without the mills. Mary has gotten older and is going away for two days for a camp at the museum made out of the mills. I could never forget what they looked like when the mills were still running. I have this feeling that the mills will open up again.