The Savannah Oyster Thieves-Steven Chandler Air Force Brat-Rockets Red Glare & WW3

Inspired by my trips down to Savannah and an unconditional love of everything oyster. This as well makes me think of my grandad's stories of running illegal corn liquor from Ninety Six South Carolina down to the shipyards of Brunswick Georgia in the 1920's. I will never forget, "Don't ever get caught in Ludowici," he would warn, "the Law there," then eyes to the ground and a slow nodding of the head. I never got the full story, but to this day my fear precludes my foot in Ludowici Georgia.

This wasn't my life. I was an Air Force Brat with deep southern roots, born on an Air Force base, I have no "hometown." I was raised around NASA rockets, roaring F4 Phantoms overhead and silos of mixed-race men working harmoniously in deep holes filled with intercontinental ballistic missiles and my dad, the officer, with the code and keys to WW3. I grew up knowing I was ground zero everywhere I went.

Why these images and stories come out from my fingers is beyond me.

Backdoor, Studio As Of Now-Georgia Red Mud Paintings

View from the studio back porch door-October 2022

Ansel Adams would sometimes come in my high school photography class out on the central coast of California.

He was friends with my teacher. I didn't know who he was, an old fella who liked photography.

I could just kick myself sometimes.

Cheever's Bleeding Eye Face Jug-Steven Chandler-Georgia Red Mud Painting

Here's Cheever with his prized face jug.

Sometimes the eyes bleed in the kiln,

sometimes it happens by accident,

sometimes it happens for a reason.

Upon completion of this painting, thinking it was dry, I lifted it up and immediately the eyes started to bleed.

The way things have been going here lately, I took it as a sign and left it.

It did happen for a reason.