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TREE IS COMPANY
Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 inches, 1991
(Private collection, Miami, Florida)
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The title of this painting is, of course, a pun on Three's Company, but the painting has nothing to do with the TV program. Instead, it has a lot to do with the name of its owner and with his business. The painting was commissioned to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Swiss Chalet Company, founded by a couple (one was Swiss and one French) and now operated by their entire family, consisting of the parents and their five children. The children are represented occupying the crown of the tree, while the mother and the father are shown merged with the roots and the trunk of the tree. The business was established in 1969 and it was started literally with a few boxes of Knorr. All this is symbolically represented, and for that reason the houses of the children are completely imaginary. Some of the symbols of their interests were included for each child (everybody loves golf!). The left and right sides of the painting, joined by the roots with the center, represent some of the suppliers of Swiss Chalet. Their logos are easily recognizable: Bistro, Hero, Felchlin, Haco, Mariebel, Orimpro, Greci, and Kondar. At the bottom of the painting a table set for a feast, a waiter carrying preserves, and a cook inspecting the delivered goods all relate to the business. The crates, for instance, show the expansion of the business, now active in three locations: Miami, Houston, and Los Angeles. One of the chairs at the table bears the artist's signature and the date.
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