'Chrome Fairy' was made while traveling in Chile to witness the eclipse at Villarrica in December of 2020. I scaled the Volcan Villarrica (2847 m) a few days after the eclipse (due to stormy conditions on the mountain it was not possible to ascend on the day of the eclipse). I also spent some time in the nearby town where I made this drawing. Typically, my outward circumstances are largely irrelevant to the subject matter of my art, and this drawing is no exception. This is because, primarily, I draw from my mind which exists outside of any specific time or place.

Recuperating from the strenous ascent of Villaricca, I retired one evening to a cafe where there was an acoustic group performing and a lively crowd gathered and I sat at a table working on "Chrome Fairy". A young Chilean woman, a lithe and graceful person, dressed in the utilitarian, slightly ragged manner that bespeaks a strong affiliation with the Left, took an interest in my activity and sat down at the table with me. We had one of those long conversations - familiar to any traveler - that is distinguished as much by a determination to converse as it is by an incapacity to speak the same language. It is remarkable how much can be communicated despite a language barrier (my Spanish is an embarrassment!), and as I was drawing she told me of the recent death of her father. It was clear she was still grieving - tears rolled down her cheeks. She said that her father would have loved my art and enjoyed meeting me, and that he was a revolutionary and spent years in prison for his opposition to General Pinochet, against whom he led protests, and was ultimately very active in overthrowing the evil dictator. She showed me a picture of him as a young man - a handsome, heroic figure who seemed like a sort of Chilean Che Guevera to me. She told me he was well-known in Santiago, but I was not familiar with this history.