There isn't much of a story for this one. Sometimes you just start working and things happen and you let them happen and that is just the way it should be.
... Enjoy!
Conversation 1: 9:27 AM
"Are you going to enter in Art Prize?" he asks.
"No," I reply.
"Why not?" he asks.
"Because," I reply.
"Because why?" he asks.
"Just because," I say.
Converation 2: 12:39 PM
"Can I help you?" she says.
"Yes, I need to cancel my life insurance," I say.
"Why?" she asks.
"Because," I reply.
"Because why?" he asks.
"Just because," I say.
Conversation 3: 3:47 PM
"How are you this today?" she asks.
"Wonderful. How are you?" I reply.
"Wonderful. Thanks for asking." she says.
"Well, see you later," I say.
"See you later, she says.
... Enjoy!
I look at the watch on my wrist and wonder why I even wear it. I only watch the time when it is 2:00 AM and I wish that I was tired and I know it is going to hurt when the morning alarm goes off but no matter what, sleep doesn't come easy anymore.
The watch on my wrist has a red face and was made in Germany and the band is made of black rubber and it tells me the time, but that is all it does. I remember when I was in Germany and we were walking down an old street and everything was closed and we stopped and looked into a small store window that was full of watches and diamonds and we kept walking up to where we saw people drinking beers at tables outside and their German words seemed loud and we sat at a table and our English words were quiet and the beer was good and the watch I was wearing then was from Switzerland with a white face.
It is currently 2:37 AM and I know my eyes will be dark in the morning before coffee and after the shower and the commute and the highways and the punch clock and I will take a seat at my desk and look my wrist watch, yellow face, silver band, Swiss made and know that six hours ago I was writing these words and as I drink from my coffee I will remember that time doesn't really have to mean anything and the more emphasis you put on time the more things slip away and are gone forever.
... Enjoy!
I Am Drawing The Line Now #8
I have settled into this wonderful chair for the evening and I am hoping that the words that fall off my fingertips are better that the thoughts that are swirling around up top. The last six (or more) weeks have not been right. Where there was motivation, there is now apathy and where there is apathy there is not much else.
I am drawing the line here. I am drawing the line now.
Did I tell you that she bought me this chair? She has connections and knows people and snuck it into the house when I was away and everyone should be so lucky to write from chairs like this and without her I know I would have given up on all this long ago and it isn't just the chair but it is everything else over the years that kept the words and paints moving and it is because of her that I am drawing the line here and now and tomorrow when I awake she will be there and the apathy will be gone.
... Enjoy!
And Now I See
I am drinking my grandfather's drink or
at least the one that I remember him drinking and
with each sip I slide a little lower in my chair and
brush off the things that I was originally going to
write about.
For some reason it all doesn't seem
important at this moment.
The only thing that seems important is
this painting, the people in the other room and
the door that seperates us.
I am drinking my grandfather's drink or
at least the one that I remember him drinking and
now I see
why this was
his drink.
... Enjoy!
Portrait Of The Devil In The City
The next painting from the devil series. This particular painting has actually been hanging around the house for a while because, well to be honest, I wanted to look at it longer. It is one of the first from The Devil Series and is one of my favorites. Anyway, it is time to let this one go. Those of you who have followed my work for a long time, know that I don't like to keep my own artwork around the house for too long. (It makes it harder to move forward as a painter if you cling to what you have done in the past. Not to mention, I would much rather have my walls filled with other artists. That is for another story though). Well, I guess that it is it for this one, the rest of the story is up to you.
... Enjoy!
I Suppose There Are Other Things Now
It is still fairly early and the girls are making popcorn the old fashioned way and I can hear them moving the pan around on the stove and they are laughing and squealing only like girls that age can do and I remember being that age when Saturday nights where full of so many things that are long gone now and sitting here at the desk I have a hard time even thinking of what those are. I suppose there are other things now and the list is too long for this story but those of you who are my age already know what that list is and those of you who aren't are probably not even caring about all of these words right now.
... Enjoy!
It has turned cold here and
I can hear the window screen rattling as
the wind blows through it and
the leaves on the trees hum like
they hum
when fall is here and
it dark much earlier and
soon living things will turn.
They always do.
I am already searching for the sun and
as I prepare for my 37th Michigan winter
I know that warmth is found in places
that are much closer than the sun and
in her hand it will be warmest and
it is there
that I will retreat.
I always do.
...Enjoy!
Portrait Of The Devil With Flowers And The Apostle
The next painting from the devil series. Normally, I tend to get decrative with the paints, especially in the face but with this 140 year old page from an old book called The Sabbath Home, it seemed like a good idea to leave the face alone and let the imagery show through. Maybe it was being brought up in a lower-middle class Catholic family in the midwest but it just seemed like the perfect imagery for the context. There is a story here and there is a portrait here but I can't help but think that depending on who you are and how much you care about such things both of those take on your own meaning with this and that is the point where everything comes together.
... Enjoy!
I met him while standing in line at Marie Catribs
waiting for my take out food and
the line gets long there if you go at
the wrong time and
that is not always a bad thing
as long as you have
no
place to be.
"People have it backwards," he says to me.
"Have what backwards?" I ask.
"Long lines at a restaurants
are a good thing.
The longer the line,
the better the food," he says.
He was right and we talked while we waited and
the food was good and
so is remembering
that the best place to be
is
the place you are
at.
...Enjoy!
