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N o v e m b e r 2015 93 Fiction By Dan Domench twitter.com W alter Rhodes watched a man get out of a trumpet-orange rag-top Jeep in the hayfield in front of his farm- house. The engine-idling bass drum kicked one-two one-two one-two Wind blasted the old man as he drew near with muscular tan legs sticking out of khaki shorts biceps pushing at the short sleeves of a faded red T- shirt. The guy had to be in his 70s carrying a magazine in his right hand walking toward Walters screen door with a side-to-side gait that said I dont fall or stumble. Sea legs. Walter caught a glimpse of the cover of the magazine. There was a one-page inter- view in there. Walter read it months ago and read it again as it blinked once at the back of his eyes. Walter Rhodes Hears Beats And Does Not Run Over Neighbors Since his graduate show secretly sold out at The Art Institute of Boston now the College of Art and Design at Lesley University the prolific and reclusive Walter Rhodes has at- tracted avid collectors first in Boston at The Liis Holmes Gallery then in New York for McRoan and Theodore and now at Justin Hallgate Gallery in New York and London. His early figurative work seemed like frame captures from an unknown movie you sud- denly needed to see. His new work manipu- lates popular and found images with text that feels absurdly real. After your Lost Dogs solo show sold out this spring at Hallgate London Justin Hallgate joked that the buyers were all sad dog owners. Have you met him Hes a comedian. Its the perfect gallery for me. Do you have a dog I couldnt handle the responsibility. Lucinda Agan of The New York Times said your show at Hallgate New York was hilarious and oddly mov- ing. Did you use flyers and posters of actual lost dogs for the paintings People have come into the gallery adamant that their missing dog is the one in a paint- ing like Im hiding it in the studio or had it stuffed as a model. Dogs control people will- fully. Ever been in someones home and a dog walks into the room and the conversa- tion stops while everyone pets the dog and makes dog baby talk The dog seems almost ashamed of its power. Bernard Rossi has said he did lost dog portraits before you and you are ripping him off. I am embarrassed to say I dont know who he is. I dont reject other artists. I am a minnow. I got to 1990 in art history and stopped. I can barely get out of the studio cross the yard and get into the house for a sandwich. I am borderline agoraphobic maybe not so bor- derline. I heard someone say there are two kinds of baseball players those who know the statistics and follow every player and ev- ery team. They play great and make great coaches and teachers. Then there are those who can only play. Thats me. Im going to die in the studio. Not from old age anytime soon. Youre 29 years old. Maybe you will get out more later. Im 30. I dont see that happening. I am not going to name the small town where I live but I am the last house on a three-mile spit of land between two tributaries of the Dead River. There are four other houses on the road. Sometimes my neighbors stand in middle of the road so I have to stop. Its like talk to me or run me over. Justin calls to check on me or schedule a pickup but most- ly I dont answer and he leaves a message. A carpenter comes in and builds frames and stretches canvas for me in the barn. She or- ders paint and supplies and hauls them in. I dont see her much but I hear the whine of her saw and it bothers me. I am at the maxi- mum amount of people I can bear. The descriptions you wrote under the dogs por- traits are humorous in a weird sad way. I loved the line under the portrait of a not-so-smart look- ing poodle Last seen following a turkey into the woods. Please help. I could see it as a full-page cartoon in The New Yorker. Have you thought of writing comics or films I journal at night but I dont think in sto- ries. I look at an image and I hear beats. Im not happy unless I get four five beats in a frame. Thats why I add the words and exaggerate the way they look like scratch- es from a felt tip marker or ballpoint pen smears but magnified so your eye knows it cant be right and gets pulled around the words and you hear them differently. I need more beats or I get bored. LostDogs