Your Big Okie Dokie Appreciated

I've been blogging seriously now for a few weeks and am grateful for the sense of community it is creating. I have been teaching at S-12 in Sacremento for almost a year and am glad to be a part of that scene too. Blogging and teaching, then, have broken the spell of isolation that has characterized my art life since 1988 when I signed my soul away to an art publishing company in exchange for a big, fat, certain income. That all shut down in 2004, and I have been chasing my tail ever since--and coming from me, that is saying alot. Family, friends, agents, gurus, well wishers and art pushers have offered well meaning advice on what I should do to keep my work "out there." I have learned one thing for sure--talk is cheap, and money buys whiskey.

There is a substantial crowd "out there" that has seen or purchased Hatfield graphics and oil paintings for a few decades now. The thing is--they are all aged. They are living in retirement villages, pushing walkers, carrying little white dogs in their purses--they have hearing aids, pace makers, and titanium knees and hips. The wonderful thing is--these are my peers, this is my age group, I am one on them! At 63 I have tried and failed at 100 stay young, eat right, and look good programs. I give up! Give me my bacon, my tobacco, my sugar and channel changer and leave me alone! My fantasy body has cut abs, tight protruding buttocks, a small waist, and a "V" shaped torso--it just hasn't shown up in the mirror yet. What has shown up in my life is a group of people who actually read what I write, and who tolerate my oil painting tid bits.

So then, I feel surrounded by a cloud of spectators who are waiting to see what I paint or hear what I say--or at least it seems so for the moment. This may be a fantasy, but it is energizing none the less. I seem to need it. This cyber world was made for me. I have not felt so at home since my third Christmas in 1950 when my family all gathered around the Christmas tree in Lake Elsinore, California. I now know how Jesus is going to return to the earth! It has been revealed to me. He is going to show up in Facebook, create a blog, go viral, then virtual, and then stream into every hand held device. Those who have Blackberrys will ascend to heaven--those who only have lap tops will burn in hell. The Macs will gather on the right hand of the Father--the PC's will gather on the left--I better stop here. The coffee has just kicked in, and my imagination is going off.

Anyway, I sarted this post just wanting to say thanks for the encouragement and thoughtful responses and I got lost along the way--but I am back to center now. I gotta get ready to drive over to Sac for my class--o yes, I gotta empty the cat box first. Always, Don