Gallery / Memories of Childhood #1

“Davie...”

Memories of Childhood #1, 2020
Oil on canvas

Television held a firm grip on my education as a child, and this particular character played a very unique role: presenting Christian morality and virtue. Davie stands out as unique because, unlike his peers Mickey, Kermit, Big Bird, Gumby (same creator btw) and the countless other religiously ambiguous characters, Davie was an ambassador from the world of Christianity. Davie was a claymation Christian boy... or is it "Christian Claymation Boy"? Anyway.

Together with his sidekick dog, Goliath, Davie dealt with all of childhood's problems from the perspective of a child who was being raised as a Christian. As such, his entire family was featured in the show, with his parents presented not only as guardians and caregivers, but also as teachers: teaching Christian morality to Davie to help him deal with life's complexities.

Because I was raised without any clear religious affiliation, I was fascinated by this character and what seemed to me to be, a clear presentation of fair and intelligent solutions to everyday problems. While I still don't consider myself a Christian, I am proud of the positive Christian influences on my upbringing and culture.

While I'm sure that some of the issues presented in this show might be considered a little less than “woke” in our delightful new century of equity and fairness for all (hehemmm), I suspect that Davie still has much to teach us all... Christians and non-Christians.

~Cory