This image is a great trip down memory lane. Who does not remember swinging on these wooden seats at your local neighborhood park and playing with these red, white, and blue rubber balls when you were a kid. I originally completed this painting back in 1988 but I was dissatisfied with a second bird flying off the swing. It simply did not work. Eighteen years later, I decided to remove the varnish, scrape off the second bird, and paint a red, white, and blue rubber ball in its place. Replacing the second bird with the rubber ball changed the narrative of the painting. The way I see it, it changed the painting from a lighthearted one to a more reflective and nostalgic one. I usually hate change, but this was a good change.