ART & INSPIRATION FROM PAUL & KATHY BOECHER

Paul enjoyed life to the fullest. He had a great sense of humor and could embellish a story into a grand epic in no time. He had the ability to stretch an event to the point of unbelief, but truthfully, there wasn’t much to add to his everyday adventures. He’d be the first to admit that his life was full to the brim with funny stories, stories about near death experiences, stories about miracles in his life and hunting and fishing stories that would put any hunter or fisherman to shame.

Every now and then he experimented with something new in his art. The above acrylic painting is somewhat reminiscent of the late 19th century, when women would congregate to do their laundry on Monday morning.

Paul was not adept at painting human beings. He could make three dimensional figures, such as my collection of hand carved Santas or a mermaid for a local restaurant, but most of his attempts at painting people resulted in images that looked a lot like him. These three women all look as though they’re related. In fact, they resemble Paul’s mother to be precise. I don’t know if he intended that, but every time I look at it, I see a reflection of my mother in law and it makes me smile.

The details of the old time hand cranked wringer, the enormous wooden barrel, the rippled scrub board, the water sprinkler bottle used to dampen clothes for ironing, and even a flat iron which would be heated on top of a pot bellied stove, all conjure memories of another time and place.

This wasn’t his usual forte’, but it showed the funny side of Paul Boecher, of which there was an abundance.

“A day without laughter, is a day wasted.” Charlie Chaplin