The Stars and Stripes reimagined

Colchester — Robert Carley has all the time cherished drawing abstracts, caricatures and cartoons. Then the outdated Nikon he inherited from his father impressed him to take up images in a critical method.

The subject material for therefore lots of his pictures took sharp focus after 9/11: American flags.

“It took me some time to understand the historic significance of documenting the response of 9/11. In my neighborhood (of Norwalk), I began seeing stunning creations — on a regular basis folks making flags and exhibiting numerous ingenuity and creativity. One of many massive causes was that flags had offered out. Individuals couldn’t purchase any, so folks determined to make their very own and turned what they cherished right into a flag, like their automobile, their boat, their mailbox, and in most excessive circumstances, their homes,” he mentioned.

Carley snapped pictures of these creations and expanded his geographic vary, to all of Connecticut, after which to Michigan and the South, earlier than lastly touring to Washington state.

His ensuing photos have been compiled in his e-book “Liberated from the Flagpole, The Metamorphosis of the Flag since 9/11,” which was printed in August 2021. He mentioned a few of these pictures have been used earlier by the BBC web site as a part of the 10-year commemoration of 9/11.

His works have been additionally featured in an exhibition at Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury final summer time titled “Within the Wake of 9/11: Robert Carley’s American Journey.”

New interpretations of the flag

What has saved him fascinated by the pink, white and blue, he mentioned, is that “I preserve seeing new interpretations of the flag. Something you’ll be able to think about, it has metamorphosized right into a flag. Flags made out of cups, lids. I used to be impressed by what different folks have been doing. One flag I noticed that was so cool was made out of chains and bolts — , nuts and bolts. It was on the facet of a tattoo store in New York state … To me, it rivals Jasper Johns.”

Johns is an American artist recognized for his depictions of the American flag.

The flag-related inventiveness impressed Carley to make his personal flags out of surprising gadgets.

“I by no means thought I’d make a flag out of facemasks in 1,000,000 years, however then I collected so many facemasks, and I knew, ‘Oh, I can save these for a flag and use supplies which can be thrown out.’ I made a flag out of my espresso creamers as a result of day-after-day I am going to Dunkin’ Donuts and get espresso, so I save all these creamers and I save lids and I do know I can use it and make them right into a flag,” he mentioned.

Carley has turned all the things from tires to water jugs into flag imagery.

“The American flag is a superb design. It may be integrated and performed round with and interpreted greater than some other flag,” he mentioned. “With the celebs and stripes, it’s only a neat flag.”

In fact, it’s not simply how the flag seems that pulls him in but in addition what it symbolizes.

“I’m very patriotic, all the time have been. I’ve all the time appreciated dwelling in America. I consider it’s probably the most free nation. It’s not excellent, however I consider all international locations, it’s distinctive. We’ve got a basis that we will construct upon,” he mentioned, citing the Structure and its amendments. “That’s why folks flock right here.”

Homes painted like flags

Carley mentioned probably the most spectacular pictures to him have been properties that have been painted like a flag, with the primary one he noticed being in Kent.

That picture was “symbolic of the nation, how America rallied across the flag, actually. Essentially the most unified time, in all probability, in American historical past, these few weeks after 9/11. It’s gone downhill since then,” he mentioned ruefully.

“I’m a Christian. I consider it was God’s timing that God gave me slightly present for images at simply the correct time. I had some actually wonderful situations that I don’t suppose have been coincidences,” he mentioned, including that he usually discovered actually fascinating issues alongside the best way when he was heading elsewhere.

Carley mentioned he has additionally had numerous “enjoyable, memorable moments” on the highway in new locations — exploring, going to diners, assembly and speaking to folks.

Coming to Colchester

Carley moved to Colchester in November 2021.

“I wished to downsize. My spouse wished to maneuver. Taxes have been getting excessive in Darien, the place I moved from. It’s numerous congestion down there, and there was no actual cause for me to remain there,” he mentioned. “I had an enormous, outdated two-family home I inherited from my mom from 1828. I simply wanted a smaller home, much less bills, after which to make the most of the recent actual property market. So I may get a great quantity for the home. And then you definitely get much more bang for the buck up right here in Colchester. Colchester is a pleasant, quiet city, and I’ve a pleasant little home that’s extra inexpensive. I’ll be 64 so I don’t have to pay excessive taxes for the college system in Darien.”

Carley is retired now. His jobs over time included being a gross sales rep for a graphic arts firm; manufacturing supervisor at Manhattanville School, working for a pharmaceutical marking firm and later for UST, a smokeless tobacco firm.

He additionally, although, has an avocation he’d wish to get again to: background performing, which he had “a lot enjoyable” doing. He has been an additional in all types of movies and TV reveals, courting again to at least one gig in 1980 when he was a university scholar after which his subsequent, 2012’s “Hope Springs,” the Meryl Streep-Tommy Lee Jones film that was shot in Stonington.

When he was on the set of “Hope Springs,” he was inspired by different extras to submit himself to a few casting firms as a result of he had a “good look” for this line of labor. 

“(I) have all the time been interested in performing, however rising up, I used to be too shy to get on stage. With background performing, there isn’t a strain, particularly when I haven’t got to memorize strains,” mentioned Carley, who makes use of the downtime on set to work on his summary drawing.

Extra not too long ago, he appeared as a jeweler in “Uncut Gems” starring Adam Sandler. And, in a little bit of typecasting, he was a photographer on “Blue Bloods” and “Gossip Lady.”

With COVID, Carley’s background work got here to a halt, however he’d wish to return to that and is happy about the truth that quite a few Hallmark motion pictures have been filmed in Connecticut not too long ago.

Caricatures and celebrities

As a child rising up in Darien, Carley cherished politics and drawing political cartoons. On the College of Pennsylvania, he earned levels in advantageous arts and political science.

“Working background has given me a chance to rise up shut and private to celebrities that I draw,” he mentioned.

Even now, he nonetheless does drawing, largely caricatures of celebrities and politicians and surrounded by related quotes. His work has led him to satisfy a few of these well-known of us, from Cheryl Tiegs to President George H.W. Bush. He likes to do a caricature of a star after which discover a solution to current it personally to her or him, usually getting a photograph of them collectively.

Carley truly drew a few caricatures of Bush fishing, which was one of many former president’s favourite hobbies. Carley managed to get it to his topic by way of a Bush cousin. Years later, with one other Bush caricature in tow, Carley went to a Memorial Day parade in Kennebunkport, Maine, that Bush all the time attended. When Bush stepped out of his limousine, Carley gave him two caricatures, which included one for spouse Barbara. In each situations, Carley later acquired a thanks notice from Bush.

“I’ve met I don’t know what number of celebrities by the years,” Carley mentioned. “So after I’m not doing flags, I’m doing caricatures, and after I’m not going that, I’m doing abstracts. These are my three passions.” 

ok.dorsey@theday.com