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Comment by Nancy Gershman on May 12, 2012 at 9:05pm

Dale S's healing dreamscape by prescriptive artist Nancy Gershman

digital photomontage, 7 1/2” x 10,” 2006 

 

Dale S, father of 25-year old Craig who died in a plane crash speaks about his experience creating a healing dreamscape:

 

"Photos are what you’re left with.  Craig in fancy bathtub And capturing the personality of my son in one portrait, so to speak, it’s different. Like flying, which he loved to teach. Like the flip flops he wore, made out of indoor-outdoor carpeting.   I explain to people that the art was inspired by his favorite song by Ziggy Marley, “Love is My Religion.” That the fruit is in the shape of country of Jamaica. It’s a process of asking questions. 

 

The major thing for me is handing out Craig’s T-shirt as a gift to his friends. I had 39 - 40 made. I try and always have some extra T-shirts in my trunk, and I’ll say “Hey, I’ve got something for you.” They’ll say, “Wow, that’s Craig!” Or “That’s neat,” or “I like it” and some will even put it on right there. Or they’ll say, “Yeah, I know, you gave one to John;  I just saw him wearing it the other day.”

The T-shirt keeps showing up in all different places. Craig’s nephew wore it in May under his cap and gown. On Craig’s death anniversary one of his friends wore one. Everybody seems to like it.

 

I enjoy giving Craig’s T-shirt out as a gift – it was good for me too that it was really more novel, more creative… like Craig. We had some framed too, and everybody has it displayed differently.  I put mine in a frame of distressed wood in my beach house because we have a lot of memories there."