Efficiency?

Music is not efficient. Visual artists and architects went the efficiency route in the 19th century, FAIL! No one falls in love with fictional literary characters after only reading the jacket of a book (most of us anyway). To artists the 4 syllable word ‘Efficiency’ is as cruel as any 4 letter word banned from public use. Luckily, today I was capable of avoiding it entirely.

I set out this morning for each of the 3 art galleries, within 3 blocks of my apartment, apply for a job and turn in my artist portfolio. What I got was: A nice conversation with Doug Jones (a rising London based artist) at a gallery that was NOT on the list; a really informative list of London Galleries; a free “special invitation” to maybe the biggest annual art show of galleries and artist in London (thnx Purdy Hicks Gallery); and I found the best art books store in London right next to the Tate Modern (Marcus Campbell Art Books) they were not hiring either. So I successfully achieved NONE of my goals, and you know what…I feel enormously overjoyed.

Week 1 in review

Just a quick update. It has almost been 1 week and everything is going great! So far I have:
- Made one drawing
- Reunited and taken care of my sick wife
- Run from our room to the 3 biggest/closest museums
- Visited half of the Tate-Modern (it is that big)
- Applied for a job at one of those 3 museums
- Researched a lot (banks, jobs, galleries, coffee shops)
- Almost finished opening up a bank account
- Started the process for my National Health Insurance Number
- First day next week, I will run to all the nearby art galleries then clean up and submit my work for admittance

Did the Marines make me this crazy or was it all the Paint fumes?

Red is a Theme Today

I’m looking at my “Get To London, To Do List” with a wide wide grin. Everyday for the last 3 months I have been adding new task and erasing those completed, then reorganizing the list according to a priority color scheme (if that doesn’t say type A artist I don’t know what does). Red is for Urgent/1st; yellow is for Priority/2nd; green is for Basically Done/Last. What is the grin about you ask? Well, the list has shrunk down from 4 pages to 8 lines, but that isn’t it. The real reason I am so happy is that only one more red task remains, and it makes me smile the same way I did when I realized the last thing in my freezer before leaving Roanoke was a red Freezy Pop. See you soon London.

1 More B4 I Go

I have one last commission before I go. Ross asked me to do an existential portrait of his 3 kids in my manner of painting, I love my work. I will post the stages of work progressively then the finished piece on Dec 30th. Why before the 30th when I am leaving a week later? Because I don't want any of my goodbyes to affect the work, thats why. It will be my last American painting until I return so it is sort of like a goodbye by itself. Wow that sounds nice. IT WILL BE FANTASTIC. I see lots of possibilities with the underpaint. It already is a little different than the sketch BUT the finished painting will be dramatic.

Finished & Title: Youth

Who Says Bureaucracy Sucks?

Who says bureaucracy sucks? Write now I love bureaucracy. MY VISA IS IN THE MAIL! That is right, no call to my senator, no whinny e-mail to speed things up. Just 3 days from receiving notification of receipt the British Consolate General has sent me an "it's in the mail" letter. Maybe I can get to London sooner. Maybe...maybe. I think I need to make a painting about it.

Anticipation Taste Good

Your package has arrived safely in this office and due to blah has just blah opened. Please note that the processing time for blah blah applications (except blah blah blah ) is 5-15 business working days blah blah blah blah blah of this office. However, if your application is straightforward and has been submitted with full supporting documentation, a blah decision is blah blah blah blah within the next 24 hours. If everything is in blah blah blah blah we are able to issue your visa, we will send another e-mail to let you know when it has been despatched and blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah you ARE SO CLOSE TO GETTING YOUR VISA AND STARTING YOUR TALE OF LONDON YOU CAN TASTE IT!!!!

B4 It Begins

SO CLOSE! Visions of the ponderous beauty of tradition juxtaposed with modern are dancing ever closer. Soon I will be painting, drawing and writing in the womb of Western Art. What will become of me? How will it change me? How will my art grow? I can't wait. Only a few more hoops to jump through. I will be leaving for the U.K. January 10th. I will. I will. I will.