
“Cal’s Table” Pencil on Wood & Alum
1988
228”L x 38”W x 19”H
This story is a Morser family favorite. When I was a kid, my father carefully crafted our family’s dining table. He was an engineer so, of course, it had a hollow core to keep it light and rigid. Unfortunately, it was down in the basement waiting for an upstairs remodel. I often lurked in the basement, always busy making or breaking things. As a seven-year-old, I was very proud to have detected (by thumping) that the table must be hollow and proceeded to prove it…with a drill…through the top…I know! I announced this amazing discovery to the family and was a little surprised by the negative reaction. It started a long chilly era between father and son. Decades later, I created “Cal’s Table” as a tongue-in-cheek project combining drawing and construction to embrace the differences between father (engineer) and son (artist). One end of the table depicts my father‘s view of life; the other end mine, with confusion in between. Then I asked, rather required, Cal to drill a hole in my table: “Fair is fair.” He actually specified a square hole. Nuff said.