Here is the latest still life in my Chaekgeori-inspired series. This is one of my own bookcases — I can easily recognize nearly every title and I know the story behind every object. The glass insulator was purchased at a roadside stand on my first trip to the Grand Canyon. The Canadian, soapstone, totem poles have been on my bookshelves since I was about 10 years old. On the bottom shelf there is a painting of Rhyolite, Nevada from my 2011 Project and mail art from South Africa from the artist Cuan Miles.
The curious object on the top shelf is a Mörksuggan. The Mörksuggan or “dark sow” is a piece of folk art I received as a gift 40 years ago when I was first in Sweden. It gently swings on the edge of a shelf and can come take away bad children during the night. It’s a rather local and obscure piece of folk art and may be the only one in all of San Francisco. I never have problem with bad children in my home, so it must work.
