Opening a Door to Yourself
Philip Koch, Truro Studio Door, oil on canvas, 48 x 36 inches, 1995 We find hints of ourselves when we feel moved by the art of others. This was painted from a smaller oil I made on location in the large painting room of Edward Hopper’s Truro, MA studio. I’ve been so fortunate over the years to have been given unprecedented access to Hopper’s Truro studio. When one is there you’re inevitably drawn to the windows and this doorway that line the west side of the house. All offer this view of Cape Cod Bay. It’s striking to see. But for me it also felt familiar as the view reminded me of my boyhood home on the shore of the open waters of Lake Ontario. It’s funny what can cause you shame when you’re seven or eight. There were two things boys in my neighborhood had to do to be “one of the guys”- ride bikes and play basketball. I was lousy at basketball. And after a hard fall on an early attempt to ride a bicycle try as I might I couldn’t master keeping my balanc