All Aboard!

In the purest sense I am spontaneous at best. So begins a journey that I am taking in late November. I have secured passage on an adventure! I love adventure, and travel. Where am I off to?? A few places actually. I will be leaving San Antonio Texas en route to Chicago Illinois. I have a life long friend there named Jarrod Spadino. He and I were in the US Navy Together. He lives in Highland Park Illinois.I left him a message last night to let him know that I would love to have lunch with him in downtown Chicago. (Union Station is in the heart of Chicago). It will take 37 hours by train which by the way is really the ONLY way to travel. From There i will be off to Our Nations Capital! I have a friend there as well. Her Name is Shadi Bahar-Azir. I have known her for 20 years. She was my best friend, David Shaw's' Girlfriend. we have always stayed in contact. I let her and her husband know of my trip last night, and we will also be having lunch at the American Cafe in Georgetown. (DC) So far so good! My final destination will be Miami Florida. I have been there once before. I have a wonderful friend there that I will also be having lunch with. You can say that this is a lunch mini vacation if you will. New friends and old. I will be taking photographs and am certain I will get some great shots. the whole trip will last almost 9 days for a few precious moments with friends. I feel it is well worth the time! Also there is nothing like traveling with a set agenda that isn't so set ya know? I am free to do what I please. I can get out in Oklahoma City, Cleveland Ohio, Kansas City Missouri, Charleston South Carolina, Savannah Georgia, or Orlando Florida. I will be stopping in all these cities with enough time to eat and wander a bit. A photographers dream! I am extremely excited. You all will be right there with me. I did this in Europe with friends once. Actually Jarrod from Chicago was with me and 4 others we did the euro rail from Naples Italy to Cannes France. this time it will be just me. Me and a friend. It will be the best 8 hours of my life! keep you all posted.

Woo Hoo!

Ok so I bought this sweet little video camera today,and have already made some long vids. Here is a test! I am editing the long ones so they will be up later tonight! Peace!

Let it rain!

There definitely is something to be said about the rain. To preface this post, some of our fellow bloggers' out there are about to be hit with a lot of rain, so to them I say keep dry, safe, and warm. That said It finally rained here in San Antonio. I love the smell of fresh rain. I had a really beautiful experience today that I would like to share with you. It hasn't rained here significantly in quite some time. I was cleaning the pool today when out of the corner of my eye I caught glimpse of something swimming in the pool. It was a perfectly happy and content frog! Let me tell ya as frogs go this one was really cute. I watched him swim for about 10 minutes, and then decided that he might need to get out. I scooped him out and to my amazement he didn't hop off. He just kinda stayed there. I was looking at him and I swear he was looking back at me as if to say thank you. I shared a really tranquil moment with that frog, and it got me thinking of how lucky I was. Lucky to have a fantastic son. Lucky to have the greatest parents in the world. Lucky to have my two sisters. lucky to have friends that care about me. I decided that my new friend and I needed another swim. So what do you think I did? I got in the pool and swam with a frog! It was a first for me. We swam for about 30 minutes. I have to tell you it was really amazing swimming with that frog. Afterwards I put him in the yard and watched him do what all frogs do. He hopped off into the bushes and I felt good knowing that for at least a brief moment man and frog understood one another. I wonder if he remembers me this evening like I remember him?

"Fury"

Ok
Ok I have recieved many emails asking what it is. A few have made guesses. Good ones at that I have included a very rough outline of what is actually there. Its me! It's what I concieved as my own image.

Man! This is what a professional photographer can do. Now this is what my stuff really looks like! Now this I am proud Of! well I am proud of em all, but Wow I have goose bumps!

Reality or Fantasy?

Jackson Pollock was a prolific artist. One of my inspiring artists. The above painting is tittled "Autumn Rhythm" It is my favorite Pollock. I had the opportunity to view it in the summer of 1989 in New York city at MOMA. I often wonder what it must have felt like to create such a masterpiece. Studying Pollocks history is interesting beyond words. Jackson was a talented Painter outside of his drip paintings which of course, were not embraced early on in the 40's and 50's. Somewhere, sometime Jackson found either through trial or error, that he was on to something that captured his discontent for the Art world around him. I have watched many, and I mean many films of Jackson actually creating these immense pieces. Wish I could have assisted him. Its like a symphony of destruction. Abstract Impressionism took the world by storm after World War II and New York City replaced Paris as its' Art Mecca.


Pollock had a penchant for booze, cigarettes, and women. It's funny how such a complex being was ruled and guided by such simple vices. Aren't we all? He also loved Jazz, which he listened to incessantly whilst slinging paint. I have often dreamed of procuring a space that I could Live and Paint in. A studio to end all studio's. Warhol's' "Factory" comes immediately to mind. I am going to spend the next 2 years extracting from the Real Estate market everything that I can. I will have my dream. I will stop at nothing to get it. I can see it. I can feel it! So with that said I need my blogger's help. I need to figure a way to get a major viewing in a LARGE metropolitan city. New York, LA or Chicago. I have a friend in Tampa Florida that is involved in the arts there, but I am squeamish to ask for assistance. Does anyone out there know of a curator or collector that might be interested in taking a chance on an unknown? There are many ways to finance this. I was thinking of spamming a million people with the promise of 30,000,000 pounds in an Iraqi bank vault, but then I thought , No that never works. All it will take I think is the right individual seeing the right piece at the right time. My Father has always been a businessman. He never really supported nor knew much about my painting. It was not until recently that he even saw one of my paintings. That's the way it has been for me and my passion. It has always been concealed. Always hidden. He once told me at the height of my Real Estate career that I couldn't serve two gods. His view has changed dramatically. Something opened his eyes recently. I received a check in the mail, and he was amazed. He said I can't believe someone sent you money by mail for a painting! I have been paid for work in the past and this event wasn't unheard of to me, but for him it was an Epiphany. The only thing that stops me from going full force is of course money. Does anyone out there know of grants that might be available?

You see I want to drop out and do this permanently. My 2 year plan might turn into 5 or 10 years, but it will happen none the less. I have been studying art out there for quite sometime. All of it amazing. I have come to the conclusion that mine is no better or worse than some of the best out there, which brings me back to Jackson. Pollock found something unusual, and he ran with it. I may have the same opportunity. If I act. San Antonio is inundated with spectacular talent art wise that is. My work is a bit different. I have the booze, I have the cigarettes, I may even from time to time have the women. What I need is a friendly eye to make it happen!

A lil More of # 1

I don't want to give too much away at this point as this piece is sold and I want it to be a surprise. But it's coming along nicely. Sorry I haven't posted more but will soon. I am experimenting with sleeping pills tonight so do not be alarmed! I haven't been sleeping well as I have had allot on my mind lately. Not to worry though its been great stuff I assure you. Beautiful stuff actually. My mind is happy, but tired. so I took an ambien and I feel really relaxed. So goodnight! kaaan jkfgvvv n;kj/4ewpkjg******* See!!!! it works! Goodnight all. I am sure I will dream well tonight.

More of # 1

So here is a sneak peek into #1 on the left is a lil newsprint that I married together. I rather liked the atonement. On the right is a lil more of the raw canvas. Keep in mind that this is stage 1 of many. This one will change and morphe as I go on. I am taking time on these now as my work environment and schedule have changed. I am used to churning and burning. I am going to coddle these a bit. Stay tuned!.....................................

So the time has come

Yes the time has finally arrived. I am going to try to chronicle the birth of a painting here. I may succeed or I might fail. In any event I ask you to join me in this beautiful Odyssey. The accompanying picture is just a quick snap of the start of #1. There will be about 30 layers when all is said and done. I always put in newsprint and other oddities in my work. They are buried deep beneath layers of color. Usually only I know they are there. I keep a journal of each piece to remind me of whats underneath. The recipients of my work undoubtedly never realize whats underneath. Little hidden treasures of immortality I suppose.

The feeling I get as I touch the canvas is almost unbelievable. Its like electricity. it's life itself. My ipod hits my ears and a whole new world opens itself before me. That first taste of an ice cold beer gets my blood pumping. I hear the rhythmic beats of the drums screaming through my artificial courage, which is music. Let the dance begin. Stay tuned.............

My Lil Buddy

It seems funny and strange how life comes at you. Sometimes slow, and other times full steam ahead. Right now it's full steam ahead. I have a special new friend whose name is Jocelyn. Before I even knew there was a nickname for her name I called her "Jossy". It fit. She and I have a really unique connection. First off she is an artist like myself. She is a photographer. I had the privilege to view a small portion of her portfolio, and let me tell you it really blew me away. She has the type of personality that I would describe as "open".

That is what she and I have. We can do or say anything in each others presence. The time that I get around her is really incredible. We went out to an arts gathering last week. There were hundreds of people there that night, and yet she was the only one there in my eyes. We had a magical night. The atmosphere was fantastic, and the company was angelic. I took this photo of her last night, and I gave her this painting. I haven't shown it here before, but it is my best, and it's my favorite. She is deserving of it. She and I connect on many different levels. My brain goes into a different mode when I speak with her. It's extremely hard to find people like her. Actually I haven't found one yet. Except for now. We started out talking and I think that is the key. We talk about everything and sometimes for hours. So as I write this I am actually on the phone with her. When does that happen. I laugh because she knows I am writing this, and she said " your typing fast now. Well I am going to end this by thanking my friend for being who she is. She has changed my outlook on things in so many different ways.

Young Love

It's been a short time since I have last posted. I have been consumed by a few things in my life. Good things! I am preparing to paint again, so that is always exciting. I have met someone that at first looked like it was going south, however it came around full circle and is going quite well. So all in all life is ok....just ok. Why is that? I started thinking about this question, and it occurred to me that I over compare all of my relationships to my last big one. I don't think this is abnormal either. All of us had a "first love", but my ex wasn't by any means my "first love". I had loved many times before meeting her. I had just returned to San Antonio from the East Coast. I enrolled into college. I was 24 years old.

First day of classes arrives. I remember being excited as I had been living in a really cool apartment very close to campus. It had beautiful wall to wall cherry oak floors. It looked like a mini gallery. I have always had a knack for decorating. Being a painter has never hurt my surroundings. So here I am Mr. Hip off to class.

Towards the end of my day, I sauntered into my first day of Sociology 101. I remember my professors last name was Mota. In Spanish that means marijuana, I always found that funny. About 10 minutes into class in walked the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She had loosely curling dark brown hair well past her shoulders. She was dressed to kill in a tight grey body suit with a black "A" line skirt. I even remember what shoes she was wearing, they were pewter sandals with red blue and green jewels on them. I remember thinking wow! Her most striking feature were her eyes and eyebrows. They were perfectly manicured dark rectangles. Very striking. Definitely out of my league. So as the year went on I always noticed her on campus. Always with the same nerdy fella. My friends and I refereed to her as the "sweater queen".

One day I was caught trapped in an elevator with her. Just she and I for 3 floors. All of 45 seconds. I stared down at my feet the whole time. I never said a word. She politely acknowledged me and reminded me that we had sociology together. She also asked if she could borrow some notes as she noticed that I took lots of them. We agreed to meet at the laughlin library to exchange notes. Later she would remind me that it was my petrified in her presence, shy demeanor that attracted her to me. She passed sociology that semester. With a little help from her shy friend she received a "C". I never purchased the required text and received a "B". I know now she was my first True love. The first song you hear here today is the song we chose as our "First Dance" at our wedding reception. I remember it well.

She of course is the mother of my son. I spoke with her today, and as we talked she asked how I was doing in the love department. I told her it was weird because most of my relationships fail because I compare the relationship we had to my new ones. None of them ever size up. She said she has done the same with her relationship. She called it "Young love". She proposed that neither of us might ever have that same feeling again. I tend to agree. We laughed, we fought, we screamed, but we always loved. She and I were inseparable for almost 15 years. I couldn't have asked for more. Oh........ and sometimes on occasion, I go to San Antonio College to ride that elevator, and although she is not there, a ghostly shadow always stands there with me. I ride, and I remember.

Tell me your stories of young love!