Emerging from a long winter’s nap, feeling groggy and then realizing - ‘Ruh roh, I’ve gotten fat and lazy.’ That’s where I am at.
In retrospect, things were humming along (2011—2013). My artwork had been published in several magazines, shown at a few galleries, and was gaining traction online and with influential art bloggers. Separate from that, the work was strong - I was challenging myself in the studio on a weekly basis, having breakthroughs and pleasant surprises. At the time, I was only looking up the mountain. NOW it is easy to see that I was doing quite well. If that had been maintained, well then who knows what heights I would have reached, professionally or artistically. But that’s also an opportune time to take a great big detour and gum up the works, right when things are starting to pick up speed and momentum. Just like Odysseus, the adverse winds were unleashed. And just like Odysseus, I could have avoided the situation altogether.
You might think, ‘Whoa, adverse winds, that sounds dramatic - were you in a major car accident? did you go bankrupt? were you homeless? did illness strike?’ And the answer to all of those questions is ‘No, I had a kid.’ Now at this point it’s easy to think that’s a valid excuse - ‘Full time job, new baby - how are you supposed to maintain a painting practice?’ And it’s that excuse that allowed my art career to unravel. In addition, I am 20 pounds over my normal, healthy weight and frequently fall asleep on the couch watching TV. WTF.
The reason I am writing this blog is to illuminate my journey back out of the hole (fingers crossed) - I’ve realized that the podcasts, blogs, books, and articles that are the most meaningful to me are the ones where the writer drops the bullshit and just tells the true story. So… here goes.
Maze - Gris Galerie, King St Charleston - 2013
Photos by Mark Borrelli