The Dancing In The Street Acrylic pop art painting
The steps of a black, comb-like structure contrast sharply with the grey stepped surround of a dark tunnel.
This, in turn, is confluent with stylised stairs with a green striped carpet.
The structural movement connects the multiple scenes in Doug’s familiar way, balancing apparent order with surrealism.
guardian angel or a memory
There is a woman’s face, too large for the apparent reality she gazes upon, above a man walking, or perhaps dancing, in the street below.
Her presence feels ethereal, perhaps representing his guardian angel or a memory of a love interest. Across the road from Al’s Café, a chorus line dances in rhythm, transforming an everyday street into a makeshift stage.
A woman’s leg, wearing a stylish high heel, steps from a flowing polka-dot skirt, adding a touch of glamour to the hum of summer in the city.
*Artist Doug Kemp with Dancing In The Street (Small Town Dramas V5) Painting
brightly coloured whip-like lines
A mass of brightly coloured whip-like lines nearly conceals three outline heart shapes, although some backward wording helps define their reference to the song Three Hearts in a Tangle.
Once a minor country hit, it enjoyed greater success as R&B when recorded by James Brown, then at least the kids could dance to it.
Through comic-book-style layered symbolism, Doug shows that behind ordinary street life, there can be drama, irony and imagination, waiting for a deeper story to be untangled.
