Burden of the Responsible Man by James C. Christensen

I love James Christensen's work. This painting is typical of his work. I don't normally like the word whimsy, but his art is whimsical in the best way.

I love all the crap weighing this guy down. His briefcase is a prickly porcupine, too many keys hang from his belt, a whole family of people perch on top of his head, there's even a fish tagging along. You have to appreciate the dangling carrot.


The Responsible Woman by James C. Christensen

"The reason it isn't called The Burden of the Responsible Woman is that she's so busy she doesn't have time to be burdened! When I asked my wife, Carole, about her burdens, she gave me a funny look and said, 'I don't have time to be burdened.' When you've got so many things going, you might not have time to ponder."

"Specifically, what you have here is 'woman as a spiritual leader,'" says Christensen. "She has a candle, which is my way of showing that she is carrying the torch, leading the way. You notice that she has spare candles. Candles are symbols of light and wisdom. She also has a many-handed clock, which could mean several things, and then there is a compass, I put that in at the last minute, because today's woman really has to try to find her direction. The compass is there to help her figure out which way she's trying to go."

At first, I wasn't sure about this one. Of course I like it, but it is so much more idealized than the Responsible Man. I'm not sure how I feel about the whole woman-on-a-pedestal aspect. But, when I thought about my mom, it seemed right.

View more art by James Christensen.