The title of this piece of art (seen below) is “A Turtle in a Turtleneck Sweater’” but that phrase, that reality of something as odd as a darned turtle in a turtleneck photobombing a piece of art has a much deeper meaning and value than just the bit you see here.

You see, this turtle (in a turtleneck) has become a friend of mine, a companion, you might say, not only in my life, but in my work. I look for him daily, and while I don’t see him everywhere, he appears to me quite often, so I share him with you. He comes in many guises and disguises, and rarely, if ever (except maybe in this case) even looks like a turtle. Even so, I still call him a turtle in a turtleneck.

Okay then, so how do I describe this friend of mine to you? Well, he’s a bit of an enigma, and other than in this image, exists only as a principle, an idea, that is until he rears his green head into yet another painting of mine. At that point, I can recognize him instantly, even if I’ve never seen him in the form he chooses in that moment. The turtle is, in fact, all that we need to be more attentive to. He is what we choose to ignore even when he slaps us in the face. He is many things, but he is just one thing. He is the unexpected but necessary force in our lives that tells us we’ve finally seen what it is we should have been looking for.

This Turtle is the unnecessary necessity – he is the abstract in a surreal painting. He is the non-sequitur that balances all that we believe should make sense. He is the illogiccal, but is the one ingredient that completes all recipes – the one that, if we ignore him, will leave everything just a bit bland. He is the one we all think will throw that proverbial wrench in the works if we even but glance at him, but is the one we must see. He is the truth behind all that order we’ve placed on reality so that we can think were comfortable. He is that perpetual surprise, that elephant in the living room.

The turtle in a turtleneck is the smile on the Mona Lisa.