The Man in the Black Coat Turns: for Robert Bly
Based on Robert Bly’s poem “Snowbanks North of the House” it depicts the point at which the figure changes direction and “does not climb the hill”. The figure is both a negative and positive being both a coat and a look into the night sky. The “Stone boat” carries an image of a meditating Buddhist monk’s brain and anthropomorphic sticks of wood that reflect the figure’s dragon staff.
Read Robert Bly’s poem Snowbanks North of the House
James H. Vredevoogd holds a BA from Michigan State University and an MFA in painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art. His paintings are in the permanent collections of two museums, two universities, and various private collections. An Emeritus professor of Art at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, he taught painting, drawing, and performance Art for thirty-two years.