08/11 Okay.... show is up.......now what?

The sky was absolutely stunning last night - big fluffy clouds the tops outlined in striking white light, a deep, dark blue sky, clear view of the 3/4 moon. Absolutel stunning. Watching moon light give roof tops  around downtown filled me with that snese of magic you only get a couple times a year - that feeling when everything has the potential to be exceptional.

Last night the boys finished hanging at UGLY - my side looks STUNNING. The work is perfectly paced and just the right height off the floor. Love the show but ow I'm thinking "now what???!!!" I don't have anything else booked...anywhere. RK Projects out of Providence expressed interest in coming to my work/live studio in October, there's 2 open studios coming up in Sept and Oct. but the goal is New York. The goal has always been New York. I don't want to dilly dally much longer but I don't know how to get from here to there - I don't even know where to go if I were to simply go there on an exploratory trip. Taking my work to NY isn't like going into deep forest and tromping around in the wilderness without a compass or food but where do artists go to have their work seen??? I'm far less intimidated by forest than I am by making steps to make steps to reach this one particular goal.

Last night, after the walk I came back to the Cave [de la Hermitage] and started going thru stuff to throw out - I came across a bunch of photos. Some are of my son at age 2, some of he and his pals at ages 12, 13 and 14, some are of a show I did with Nancy Cole 5, 6 years ago . I was struck by how much my work and I have changed. Although physically I was solid (which I'm not anymore), my work was much more....decorative than it is now. I always thought my work  was outstanding and now I can see it was...not bad but certainly not on the same level it is now - explosive, complex, intricate and FULL of emotion. I think I've become the painter I always hoped I would be. But where do I go from here? NOW what?

 Maybe I should just enjoy being in UGLY for a day but I can't. I have to keep moving forward but which way forward - I need a direction.