May 19, 2013

1975

In Sacramento, one of the girls who stood vigil outside a Los Angeles courtroom waiting for her “father to be released” in 1969 makes headlines again six years later. Charles Manson follower Lynette Fromme attempts to assassinate President Gerald Ford in a gesture that she claims is in defense of the Redwood Forest.

“I stood up and waved a gun (at Ford) for a reason,” Fromme says. “I was so relieved not to have to shoot it, but, in truth, I came to get life. Not just my life but clean air, healthy water and respect for creatures and creation.”

Does Fromme know that in Carbon Canyon Regional Park two hundred Redwood trees have been planted? A Redwood forest right there in Orange County!

The Epiphany

Kaye Donachie, The Epiphany, 2002; oil on canvas

 

  1. In Sacramento, one of the girls who stood vigil outside a Los Angeles courtroom waiting for her “father to be released” in 1969 makes headlines again six years later. Charles Manson follower Lynette Fromme attempts to assassinate President Gerald Ford in a gesture that she claims is in defense of the Redwood Forest.

    “I stood up and waved a gun (at Ford) for a reason,” Fromme says. “I was so relieved not to have to shoot it, but, in truth, I came to get life. Not just my life but clean air, healthy water and respect for creatures and creation.”

    Does Fromme know that in Carbon Canyon Regional Park two hundred Redwood trees have been planted? A Redwood forest right there in Orange County!

  2. Orange County is best known throughout the world as the home of the original Disneyland (built over what were once orange groves and, before that, desert). In 1975 the theme park celebrates its twentieth anniversary, and in this year, as in the year before and the one after, miles and miles of Super 8 footage are shot in Disneyland, home movies that will later find a larger retro-hungry audience in future YouTube posts. During this year, the park will see its first gang-related violence when three teens are shot. All escape without serious injury.

  3. This is also the year that Mark Frechette, famous for his role in the 1970 film Zabriskie Point, dies in a prison yard when a barbell with 150 pounds on it falls on his neck. No foul play is suspected, though friends attest that the former actor was suffering severe depression.

  4. At the premiere of Zabriskie Point, Frechette and his costar Daria Halprin expressed their disappointment: “Antonioni missed it completely,” Mark said. “What comes over on the screen is a revolutionary Disneyland. Antonioni has given us a lot of pretty pictures, but otherwise it’s a void—there’s no context, no feeling.” Daria added, “I’m sure Antonioni believed in what he was doing, but he just doesn’t understand people—he didn’t give the characters enough room to be human.”

  5. Frechette’s story, especially his connections with the Fort Hill Commune, is one of many that will preoccupy painter Kaye Donachie. Headed by the charismatic Mel Lyman, Fort Hill was perhaps the first of such Manson-style personality cults short on dogma but strong on discipline and introspection. Frechette and two other members of the commune attempted to rob a bank in 1973, which was how he wound up in the prison in Norfolk, Massachusetts, where his life would end.

  6. Some of the Manson Girls (Fromme included) will also find their way into Donachie’s paintings, bathed in yellow light and smiles.

 

EBB

Kaye Donachie, EBB, 2010; oil on canvas, 50.5 x 40.8 cm

 

Black and enduring separation

Kaye Donachie, Black and enduring separation, 2012; oil on canvas, 41 x 30 cm

 

 

 

I am so multiple in nights

Kaye Donachie, I am so multiple in nights, 2005;
oil on canvas, 67 x 38.5 cm

 

 

 

Your untold dreams I love to see

Kaye Donachie, Your untold dreams I love to see, 2005; oil on canvas, 59.5 x 41.9 cm

 

 

 

And schemes of shadows were drifting by

Kaye Donachie, And schemes of shadows were drifting by, 2005; oil on canvas, 45.7 x 66 cm

 

 

 

Hobos Lament

Kaye Donachie, Hobo’s Lament, 2005; oil on canvas, 46 x 62 cm

 

 

 

Didn't know what to leave behind

Kaye Donachie, Didn’t know what to leave behind, 2005; oil on canvas, 66.8 x 76.8 cm

 

 

 

But in your eyes I see a sunbeam

Kaye Donachie, But in your eyes I see a sunbeam, 2005; oil on canvas, 50.8 x 58.4 cm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every mornin’ our love is reborn

Kaye Donachie, Every mornin’ our love is reborn, 2004; oil on canvas, 62.5 x 90 cm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zabriskie Point

Michelangelo Antonioni, Zabriskie Point (film still), 1970, with Mark Frechette (l) and Daria Halprin (r)

 

Comments (2)

  • george green says:

    Yes, this is a complex topic. Creative people are often insensitive to everyday problems. My uncle creates 3D models for online games.This is a prestigious profession in Canada. However, his eldest daughter does all the household things. When she realized that there was musty air inside the house, she immediately called specialists from duct brampton, air duct cleaning brampton – https://comfortclean.com/air-duct-cleaning-brampton/ This is normal practice in Canada. Such services check all systems thoroughly, do cleaning, give a full report and a guarantee.

  • This is a very sad story. I try to avoid anything that involves isolating people from the world. But it’s worth being honest with yourself. There are many people in the world who prefer to be alone and not leave their own home, forgetting about fresh air. I first noticed this when I was in NY. It’s a big city with a lot of opportunities. However, there have always been people who preferred to work without leaving home. It is very good that modern technologies can improve the indoor microclimate. I mean air conditioners, humidifiers and so on. This greatly improves the life of creative people who prefer not to leave home.

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