Nicholas Schmelter

My piece shows a scene from the life of Chris McCandles next to Bus 142 in Alaska. The bus is where he spent the last bits of his life after years of hitchhiking and wandering the western part of the United States, coming into contact with many people and shaping their lives with his unique perspective on life. I first heard about this story from a coworker at my first job. She said I reminded her of McCandles with my love for the outdoors and friendly demeanor. Doing research on his life I found McChandles to be on one hand, brave, adventurous, friendly, and free. On the other hand, some would say that he was ignorant and selfish, or they’d call him a crazy hermit. Everybody I know who I've told the McCandles would put him into either category and I felt that I could use that to learn more about people. With his story I could build a community that often also liked the outdoors and other adventures. This piece doesn’t do his life justice, but I’ve found his story really inspiring and the interview of the people he knew to be heartwarming. Pictured is the bus on a ground using white and brown for the patchy feel of the melted snow on his camp, not too dissimilar to the grounds of my town during the winter. A barrel that McCandles used as a table and in the background, and trees and a dark blue sky.