Does this have to do with that Devil went down to Georgia to have a fiddle contest song? I mean is this saying, “just say no” a la Nancy Reagan? Or does it really have nothing to do with fiddles?

Chris, I’m glad I found your site today. I found your brother’s site actually, thru a link from Jeffrey Zeldman (assuming you know who he is). Can you email me your phone number so we can talk about some art stuff, please. I’m teaching at FAU and am closer to you now. Talk soon!

so, is this guy trying to be funny?

I could sleep better at night if he was joking. I wouldn’t weep over his haircut if it was a gag wig. I could enjoy his paintings if he acknowledged that they were awful. But Frank Clarke is dead serious.

As for the fiddling, it’s not really about fiddles, or Nancy Reagan. Nor is it about fiddling in the way my mom used the word when telling my brother to “stop fiddling” when she would catch his wandering toddler hands creeping into his trousers.

It’s about tinkering. Or rather not tinkering. The paintbrush character is all over Frank’s book describing the correct way to paint trees or pastoral fences. He is a fount of good advice.

It’s not the hair! The hair is just to distract you from noticing the eyebrows and creeeeeeeepy smile.

I actually saw Frank’s TV program on PBS here in Chicago. Seeing him in real time is almost more creepy than static images.