IMITATION OF LIFE
Sher Creekbaum Fick
Series Dedication: To My Beloved Stepfather Jimmie Lee Carter, 1938 - 1998
Photo: Me (left), Jimmie Lee Carter (center), with 2 of my 7 siblings. Taken in Chattanooga, TN on my parent’s Honeymoon Trip, July of 1972, they took a total of 7 children with them.
At the age of four, I gained my amazing stepfather (Jimmie Lee Carter, a TV repairman). Many of the items and tools I use in this series were collected from his shop after his sudden and unexpected death. Using his components elicits feelings of gratitude for a man who raised me as his own and encouraged me to explore my creative side. He and my mother were always happy to pay for art lessons and supplies, many of which I still own. I love using his manual drill, wire cutters, needle-nose pliers, shop brushes, and soldering gun. I feel I am still standing at his elbow as he teaches me how to use a new tool.
While he worked at General Electric in Danville, IL (in the 60’s – early 90’s), he created the ballast for the light bulb shining from the Statue of Liberty. He was also a licensed Pyrotechnician and my family spent many summers preparing for the fireworks displays held at Camp Assurance in Georgetown, IL. It is thanks to him that I have so many unique childhood experiences.