“Every artist writes his own autobiography.“~ Havelock Ellis
Fool on the Hill
Fool on the Hill — ink on Paper, 4 x 5in
— inspired by The Fool on the Hill, The Beatles
🌿 May 22, 2026 — Fool on the Hill
Today “The Fool on the Hill” popped into my head. When I was a kid, I identified with that song, and honestly, I still do.
What hit me today is that the song really isn’t from the fool’s perspective. It’s from the people watching him. Everybody deciding who he is from the outside.
And maybe that’s why it stayed with me.
Sometimes it’s not just feeling like the fool. It’s feeling seen as the fool.
A little outside things. Watching. Thinking. Maybe noticing things differently than other people do.
The song always felt lonely to me, but not completely sad. More like somebody trying to make peace with being different from the flow around them.
I’m a Minneapolis-based artist working in watercolor, gouache, oil, drawing, and mixed media.
After teaching art and design for many years, I returned to making art fully. These days, I spend my time drawing, painting, experimenting, and paying attention to what shows up.
I often work small. My work moves between observation, memory, and imagination. Some pieces lean surreal. Some stay close to what is seen. What interests me is what begins to emerge when I stay with the work long enough.
On my blog, you’ll find both my artwork and my reflections. I’ve come to see they are connected. What I learn in the studio often changes how I see my life, my relationships, and my community. In that way, art has become more than making objects — it has become a way of understanding and being in the world.
View all posts by Bill Hendricks -- Shadowmason
One thought on “Fool on the Hill”
Love it, especially your explanation of what it means to you.
Love it, especially your explanation of what it means to you.