Calenzo is looking for archetypal meaning in personal stories. The artist writes “Dry Dock is one of my ‘recluse’ paintings that question the introverted nature of being a creative person. Here our recluse has built a boat in anticipation of the flood, but unlike Noah’s, his boat is built for one. He might have been happy waiting for the rains forever, with only a few valuables in tow (the globe and jug refer to Vermeer’s peaceful lonely interiors) but the busy world (beavers) gnaw at his foundation. He shews at them with his pool cue (a relic of his youth – back when he could shoot pool with friends and enjoy a social life). If there’s a moral in the story it’s probably in that cue.”
