What a Difference a Year Makes
2013 is the year that
dispelled all the self-imposed age related restraints I had been laboring under
in recent years. The key word here
is “self-imposed”, because my body has its own set of restraints that cannot be
denied. But they have no place in
this narrative.
I had foolishly
convinced myself that my best work was behind me, and there was no longer a
place in my life for grand, sweeping aspirations and goals. My work would now
be slow, deliberate, and a lot less ambitious. (Picture a tired old fart sitting in his studio ever so
slowly working at an easel.) I was
that close to putting myself out to pasture.
Then came the Paducah Portfolio, After working for
months on large canvases in 2012 for a gallery show in which nothing sold, I
reacted by focusing all my efforts on smaller drawings and paintings, and the
Paducah Portfolio was conceived.
With few exceptions, I devoted the entire year to the project, and in
the process wiped out all of my nonsensical notions about age and work. It is impossible to overstate how
significant this has been for me.
I am facing 2014 with a
head filled with ideas of things I want to do, which I will approach with the
attitude that I will live forever.
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