I'm told (by persons in my past ) that there is a ancient Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times." Well, the past month or so has certainly been interesting! We have grandparents and grandchildren running fot national office, and we have all lost at least some money due to the greed and folly of those we trusted to be prudent with OUR money!

Well, before all the money panic began my wife and I initiated a remodeling/building program (I know, people our age are down-sizing, not adding on). I'm sure our money is safe, but we had some anxious moments.

Meanwhile, my art has been hanging in a local coffee shop, and I just took it all down today (up for the month of September). Lots of appreciative comments, and good exposure, no sales.

So in the box "Your Mood" I wrote "other". Very mixed feelings, and I haven't produced any art for a month. Also I haven't written anything here for a couple of months.

I wonder how the election is affecting other artists. I'm angry that the selection is as weak, for both parties, as it is. They all talk about "changing America" or "Shaking up Washington", but look who's running: a Chicago pol with a retread Washington insider talking change, and a retread Washington insider with an inexperienced loose cannon talking about shaking up one of the most entrenched and self-protective political bodies in the world. I think it shows that the political parties have no interest in the needs of the country. They want to maintain power. I've been saying for years that I can't decide whether I'm a Democan or a Republicrat! I think  maybe I'll vote fro Ralph Nader--oh oh, he's a retread, too! 

My art is a means of shutting out the world, as well as tuning in to it (the latter on my own terms, of course). For the last month I've been preparing work for a one-man exhibit during September. But finding time for actually producing work is not easy when the honey-do list is growing exponentially and grandchildren demand time, and teaching drawing to teens takes up quite a bit of time.

So, the world refuses to agree to be excluded. Like most of us, I dig out time to work on my last two projects in the midst of interruptions.

When the world tires of intruding, I work on things that interest me or might interest buyers. I've drawn horses for fun since I was about ten (that was a long time ago!), but accurately drawing them as a serious artistic effort is a challenge that I'm confronting now. I'll include photos of my most recent effort as it develops (or show you the crumpled and torn paper if I get too frustrated).

Drop me a comment if you've had a similar experience--or if you just want to vent. 

I'll try to update this blog space on a more frequent and regular basis in the future. 

Why? Why is an old man (well, I guess in our modern society I'm really in late middle age) like me beginning what might be a new career in art? Where have I been for all these years?

 Well! People knew I had talent when I was ten. If I had been like a lot of people I would have gone to art school and had a career. But I had a few other interests, and art sort of ran third.

I managed to sell a few pictures to a magazine I worked at for a while, and I did some drawings for churches and groups, but I spent thirty plus years with another love, working with people (oh, the stories I could tell--like the girl whose foster parents told her hat she should never kiss a boy and she wouldn't get pregnant. So she didn't kiss any, and she was pregnant at twelve!).

So, now that career is over (has been for a number of year), and my interest in people is focused on teaching art and drawing and painting portraits. That, grandchildren (they're so much fun I should have had them first!) and church activities make my life pretty busy.