1999

I found this old photo today from my art gallery opening in 1999. It is hard for me to look at this photo because it brings me back to one of the hardest times in my life. At this time I lived in the basement of an art gallery with no windows, no shower and a lot of big rats. I was so poor I had no food for days and you can see that I am about 15 pounds underweight. I cant believe I never lost my mind or gave up. The funny thing is no matter how bad things got I always found humor in the situation. Try showering with a cold hose every morning---it aint fun. On a good note I was friends with all the bartenders in the hood so I always had places to drink. I literally lived on "gallery wine" for nutrients and to numb myself for a year. I have no regrets about my bohemian days, I wouldnt trade them for 5 million dollars. I never quit, never became a drug addict, never sold out and I never stopped believing in the power of the painted image...sometimes it is all you got. I nthe end of life all you have is your stories, I talk to some people and they have all the character of a bag of wonder bread. This is worse than death to me--dead before you lived.