Fortress of the Heart

The military fort resolutely still stands at the edge of this young river port village in the Ohio River Valley. Just a generation ago fur traders and explorers first paddled up and downstream to this naturally inviting gathering point when protection from Indians, the English, the French, and simply the elements was essential. Long before America became a growing nation, the seeds were sown when adventurous souls with their supplies from the east met the wild opportunities of the frontier. Unlike others in the past, today has been a good day. In this scene, these early settlers thrive beyond their stockade fencing and log blockhouses. The music – a fiddle, mandolin and drums – set the tone and pace of some unknown celebration. The fiddler, warm and inviting eyes set on the viewer, narrates to our imagination. The drummer girl smiles broadly across the scene at the rising antics of an elderly yet energetic Frenchman with a young and blossomed frontier woman. The mandolin player also watches with heightened curiosity at those who celebrate his music. The dancers, below and beyond – French, English and perhaps a touch of Indian – quietly reveal the real celebration of a community coming together. All hearts are in sync. The military fort now a faded thought, this is nonetheless a scene of protection of the soul and indeed the heart. In this still dangerous world, the heart must occasionally let go for its own survival. In this painting, “Fortress of the Heart,” music provides the free and steady pulse to do just that.