Kendall Schulz

Acrylic on canvas
36” x 36”

I was delighted to learn of the theme ‘Stay Gold’ for Mayfest. As a Green Country native, Mayfest has a special place in my heart as one of Tulsa’s top traditions. And, like so many others, I adore S.E. Hinton’s novels, and The Outsiders has such a special place in my heart. Music plays a huge role in my art, so I found a ton of pleasure and inspiration in playing, on repeat, songs from The Outsiders movie—Elvis, Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Carl Perkins, and many others. This endeavor was an absolute blast!

Forward Nostalgia was done in keeping with my preferred method of layering geometric shapes. I’m very inspired by patterns and color combinations of quilts, and what they represent. I’m honored to have the opportunity to share my interpretation of ‘Stay Gold’ and the abstract symbolism:

• Quilt pattern – quilts represent community, creative expression, celebrations, and traditions, all of which Tulsa is so rich with.

• The gold and yellow tones – an obvious nod to ‘stay gold’ and Ponyboy and Johnny’s sunsets, but also a symbol of hope.

• The blue tones – the seven blue squares represent the seven main characters of The Outsiders. I drew inspiration from a postcard of the iconic photo of the movie characters. Mixing and layering endless hues of blue, I used their array of denim as fuel for my color palette.

I strive for my paintings to have depth and texture with a patchwork, ‘broken-in’ feel. This symbolizes both the history of our community as well as the difficult circumstances the beloved characters faced in The Outsiders. In my unworthy interpretation, despite their circumstances, their unending loyalty to each other provided hope. As Johnny Cade said, “There’s still lots of good in the world.” Although always relevant, it’s a timely reminder. And we’re blessed to be in Tulsa—a city rich with history and traditions for which we can feel a nostalgic pride, but also look forward to growth and all the ‘good’ ahead.