Frugal

Frugal (version 1) (2024). Pen on handmade paper, thread. 5.9 x 7 x 1” closed, 14.1” wide open, 5” tall open. Lost by USPS

Each of these versions has the same text (with slight variation in the tip-ins located inside the honeycomb), which honor a father whose tendencies toward gathering and organizing every little bit that crosses his path might seem ridiculous in the late 20th century and early 21st. But with perspective and age, this habits make more sense given some fathers grew up in the clutches and aftermath of devastating war.

Frugal (version 2) (2024). Pen and natural dye on handmade paper, thread. 6.2 x 4.5 x 0.75” closed, 9.1” wide open, 5” tall open. Lost by USPS.

Frugal (version 3) (2024). Inkjet on handmade paper. 8 x 4.75 x 2” closed, 9.5” wide open. One of a kind. Art Gallery of Ontario Collection.

Frugal

All the things he gathers,
he organizes.
He makes a home for everything, whose purpose could lie 30 years away.

Nothing is trash.
With a bit of thought, it’s just the tool you need

It used to embarrass me.

Now my shame has dissolved into pride

I have my own string basket
paper clip bowl
cardboard scrap stacks
Medicine closet full of a tetris of cigar, shoe, and tampon boxes

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

This is my inheritance—

the ability to make do
with joy

with what is at hand.