You hear it all over the city now. Support the Arts. There are galleries everywhere, from the upscale places to the bakery or bistro or salon. When people hear support the arts, at least those who can afford to, tend to contribute to a foundation or museum.

What happens to the artist? They work at the bistro or salon or grocery store. I talked to a gallery owner in an attempt to get some help so I could buy supplies and he said the days when an artist didn’t need to have another job were gone. This is the state arts are in. The artist comes home from work tired. Just like everyone does. His time for creating is gone. The art that might have been will never be. It is lost.

At the same time people decorate their homes and businesses with mass produced reproductions. Will Monet, Picasso or Klee benefit? Maybe. But they won’t be paid.

I’m asking people who are decorating to look at original works. You can go on line and find unlimited artists. You can find something you really like for no more than you would pay for a well framed copy of something everyone has already seen. And you get something unique. There is only one in the world and it is yours.

I don’t think most people understand what it means to an artist to sell something. It gives them confidence and adds a sense of meaning to their work. It validates their existence.

So I say if you want to support the arts, support the artist. You will not believe the difference you will be making.

If you have never smoked tobacco, good for you. If you have, and especially if you were heavily addicted and have quit, I am in awe of your resolve. Awhile ago I quit. It was more out of lacking tobacco money than wanting to stop, or be healthier, or not stink. it was one of the worst weeks ever. The first day wasn’t bad. the second I was very edgy. By the third day I was tired, utterly depressed and could not think of anything except how I might get a cigarette. After a few days of just sitting around being miserable I went to the basement and found a nice little piece of cherry wood. With saw and drill I fashioned a pipe. I took a screen from an old faucet and put it in the bowl to keep chunks from going into my mouth. Then I went out below the back porch where I knew I had thrown a lot of cigarette butts. I started collecting stinky sometimes a little muddy or soggy butts and emptying any tobacco left in them into my homemade pipe. It was heavenly. I collected a lot of these and emptied them into a little container to let the tobacco dry out a little. I started thinking about how many butts there must be in the world and how I could smoke forever even if I had no money. It was all very pathetic. I finally bought some tobacco. I tried to tell myself that some people are just supposed to smoke, that tobacco is my true friend, that it is my religion. But I knew I was lying to myself and that it is just an addiction. I decided that I don’t want to be addicted to anything. So now I am slowly reducing my smoking, day by day. I smoke the equivalent of about two cigarettes a day now and I know I can succeed in quitting, just not cold turkey. That method is for the birds.

Charcoal Drawings   18×24    $300

I’m going to talk about one of my paintings, The Clearing. It looks on the surface to be a Doctor Doolittle thing, a guy talking to animals. The animals listen intently. In my mind he is telling them that they should run for it. The area is going to be cleared to make room for the ever expanding humans.

I’ll call the fellow the omnipotent woodsman. He is at one with the creatures and nature, but has no control over the humans. Who does? They just keep coming. They always pick the most beautiful spots to move into and before you know it the places aren’t beautiful anymore. And they breed. They don’t know when to stop or even slow down a little. They don’t even seem to care if it will certainly be the end of all of them.

So the painting is really about overpopulation. I am not as well spoken or as nice a guy as Bryan Welch, publisher of Mother Earth News. His article A Vision for a Better World should be read by everyone. Personally I think that anyone who chooses to have more than two children is being irresponsible to all of earths inhabitants including their own kids.

Any way I had a lot of fun painting these animals and trying to give each one a personality. If you look at the big horn sheep he is looking you in the eye and saying “What are you going to do about this?” My favorite is the grasshopper. I have an affinity for them. I talk to them sometimes and I have seen that each one has a distinct personality, as do all creatures. If you take some time to go outside to feel the pulse and breath and life of this planet you will find you can sense how the earth itself is a living being. A being who can care for and provide for everyone, providing we don’t allow ourselves to become an infestation. When that happens she will find a way to rid herself of us.

These are charcoal sketches and drawings that I have done recently just for practice. They are 18 x 24 inches, the sketches (first ten) are $100. The drawings (last 2) are $200. Shipped in a tube, $10 shipping and handling.