Driving off the cliff?

I recently heard the expression 'Driving off a cliff' used to describe radically changing your enviroment inorder to challenge yourself, to infuse your life/career with new energy. While doing the sketch for this painting I was sitting in NYC waiting for my wife to complete a day working on the Sopranos. We had spent about a week in the city staying with friends and in a hotel just off of Times Square. Since that time, we have been debating the idea of relocating ourselves to the City. What are the advantages, what are we giving up. We have stood on a soap box of regionalism in the arts and have made a life for are selves living in a small city in the south, living as artists, raising a family, surrounding ourselves with dogs and cats. We have developed a network of like minded talented artists, actors, muscians and friends. Is it now time to change the base? To break with that commitment to regionalism and grab hold of the center of our respective arts? What can be gained is huge. What can be lost is not really known, but space and being able to be alone are among them. This is a six month old debate that seems to be gathering steam. Anyone's thoughts would be helpful, either from the City or those of us who have chosen not to go.

Beating My Head Against the Wall

While I am excited by the series of paintings that I have begun in the studio I am frustrated with living the life. When you are in the bottom of the rollercoaster it feels like you will never get back up to the top. I have had three new clients (yea!) but alas, all are paying on time and one had a payment returned. The galleries that I visited in DC, still have not responded ( guess that is better than a rejection letter) and the "We are sorry..." Letters from the grant applications are starting to come in, two so far.

For me financially, it is always when we sell the next painting we will be fine. But, by the time we make that sale, it is time to say, "When we sell the next painting, we will be fine."

According to the book "Shock of the New", Franz Kline and his wife made a distinction. They never said they were poor, it was always that they were broke. To them and me, being poor means no hope, being broke, is short term, and perhaps by choice. So, will I'm in the down swing of the rollercoaster, I remember that I knowingly got on this ride and I can't imagine doing anything else.

I promise new pictures with the next posting. And I will begin a more disciplined approach to regular postings.

Greig