HAPPYHOUR!!!



The gallery in which my work sits is having one of their semi-monthly happy hours. They are usually fun and relatively well attended....................another excuse for people to drink, I guess. God knows I never actually need an excuse. I am, of course attending. I'm such a whore that way. I truly hated the attention that I got the night that the show opened, but I like watching people look at my work. I think the crowd (assuming that there will be one) will be more manageable, given that I won't be the main focus of the evening. Unfortunately most of the people there will know me. I like it much more when I can be anonymous. I think that's why I liked living in New York so much.

I've decided to title these things now


For whatever that's worth. Aside from the fun of tending to a recovering parent, I've also developed a wonderful head/throat/chest cold. It's really quite nice. I feel like I have a family of rabid and pissed off raccoons residing in my sinuses and the only thing that I can truly taste is the blood and mucus in my throat. Too graphic? I don't want to go to a doctor for something as wussy as a bad cold. If I can't make it to the studio then I'l go

Work at the studio continues though. I'm starting and hopefully finishing one of the paintings that I'm donating today. Orchids. That's what I'm painting, orchids. Why? Beats the fuck outta me! I've never really painted flowers before. I just hope it will be relatively easy. I hate spending an inordinate amount of time on something that I just end up giving away. I'm not even sure what charity this is for.

I'm thinking limited palette..........................whites, yellows, greens, and greys. I gotta stop writing and get back to work............................................cough up some blood and get back to work.

My dad's got wires in his heart. I just picked him up from the hospital after getting a defibrilator implanted in his chest. He's OK................as OK as a 72-year old man can be. It's a routine procedure but still a little wierd. The several recallls that have happenend surrounding these devices is not the least bit calming. He's probably still gonna outlive me.

I had a ton of very wierd dreams the night before his operation.......I'm not terribly surprised, although one thing confuses me...................Why can't I read in my dreams? The words are there, but when I go to read them they become gibberish.

The kids class went reasonably well. I was spectacularly hung over. I only wanted to throw up twice............resisted the urge both times. Luckily one of the moms that was there was some sort of an education student, so she sort of took control of some of the aspects of the class. For some people her actions would have been a little aggressive, bordering on overbearing, but I didn't care. I had no turf that she was pissing on. She could have taught the whole damn thing while I napped in the corner. Everyone drew their drawings, painted their paintings, and ate their cake. No tears. No casualties. I still don't like kids.

I'm finally getting back in to the swing of painting again. Much of this has to do with the fact that I've promised a couple of charities that I would donate a painting to their auction (cuz I'm so F-ing generous). Why do organizations always feel that the best way to raise money is to have some sort of an art auction? Can't their development people come up with any better ideas. If I hear one more person tell me about the great exposure that donating my work will bring me, I'll have to shoot someone!!!!!

The painting itself is actually going well. I still can't afford the canvas stretchers that I need to do larger paintings, but I'm getting occasionally flooded with ideas and imagery that I want to explore or at least sketch out. That's the scariest part, coming up with the ideas. I swear, I've been doing this for a decade and it still freaks me out. After a show I feel like I'll never come up with another idea ever again. Eventually it all comes around.

I FUCKING LOVE THIS JOB!!!!!

I don't know what it is but most of my thoughts recently surround my car or driving. Maybe it's because I'm not really getting any real work done, or more likely because of all the rampant douchebaggery that I witness while I'm on the road.......people driving over a mile with their turn signal on while others apparently never learned how to use them.............I just don't get it!

My show was reviewed in the paper (The Buffalo News) today. All in all a good review. I wasn't panned in the least, but it really wasn't a critical blowjob or anything, not that I was expecting one. i was called wity and ingenious, so I got that goin' for me. All of the work was mentioned except for one of my favorites, which I found kinda odd. I suppose I'm being a little too picky/greedy cuz there's no such thing as bad press. Now I gotta go get twenty copies or so to feed my self-important delusion. I hope something sells. .........................................because I'm a greedy materialistic bastard!!!!!!!.....................who needs to buy a shitload of canvas.

I have to teach a children's class tomorrow.....................in the MORNING!! I'm barely functioning right now. I can't imagine what a hangover is going to be like with a bunch of kids added to it. I don't know how I got roped into this. It's too late to get out of it now. I give a ton of credit to anyone who deals with a group of children on a daily basis. I don't like them.

That Post Show Depression Thing.

OK, so it's been five days since my show opened and I'm now deep into a fantastic depression. I don't even have the satisfaction of having it be alcohol-fueled! I was really trying to avoid this. Hell, I don't even understand it................well, I suppose I sort-of do. Work my ass off........................big build up..........................lots of attention (briefly)......................and then nothing. I guess it's a bit of a letdown combined with the frightening thought that I have to do it all over again, but it has to be even better.

I saw an article about this situation in an old ARTnews once, and most of my friends who are artists experience the same thing. For some reason that this happens to a large amount of artists gives me little comfort.

Holy shit this is some whiny crap!!!!!!

I just gotta get back to work. I have to do more big paintings.


On a different topic.......................Shit am I getting tired of all those magnetic ribbons on the backs of cars!!! The sheer number of them is bad enough but, for God's sake people they are symbols!! They do not need to be (nor should they be) turned on their side so people can read whatever is printed on them. And since when do symbols even need words?! On my way into the studio today I was driving behind some douchebag in a giant black pickup. His ribbons (obviously, tilted on their side) made the important statements "support lap dancing" and "support sex, dugs, and rock and roll". Don't get me wrong I support all of those things, but if your only avenue of self-expression is the back end of your vehicle, you've got problems.

I can't wait for these magnetic pieces of bullshit to go the way of the "Baby on board" sign and the cuction cup Garfield!

Well, considering how much I detest most technology, it seems pretty silly for me to even have one of these things. Hell, I may be getting a website soon........................GOD WHAT HAVE I BECOME!?!?!?!?

I figure I can whore myself and my work even further with the help of these terrible machines. Unbeknownst to me my friend Val Hyped my new show at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo on her blog.......creativebflo. So with this I have already doubled my web presence...............................WOW! This shit works!!!!!