Its a small world...

I cant remember if it was a year and a half or two years ago that I received a phone call from a person I didnt know. (I am lucky enough to get calls on occasion from people looking to buy my art) The person, named Larry called me from Westchester, a place I had just spent a year in before I escaped back to my true home, NYC. While I was in Westchester I painted the above picture. It was a book cover for the Ambassador yellow pages, I was the cover artist for them for about seven years total. Larry had seen the picture and loved it and wanted to buy a print or original. If memory serves me, he wanted to give it to his wife as a birthday gift. We arranged to meet for a beer in NYC. As we sat and talked he told me his wife's brother had passed and she was sad so he hoped  painting would cheer her up. It made me feel good to think my art could actually cheer someone up. When I mentioned where I went to high school he told me his wife's brother taught English there. Turns out he was my english teacher in 8th grade! He was a great guy, Mr. Pryal. He was also my editor on the school newspaper (I was the cartoonist.) I remember Mr. Pryal running around the halls, always in a rush and his great sense of humor and his mustard yellow turtleneck sweaters. The funny thing was I had just discussed Mr. Pryal a month earlier for the first time since high school (many many moons ago) because he had attended a friend's class reunion. Larry loved the print and I even eventually gave him the original oil painting when I finally found it in my files. These moments make the world a much smaller place.... Ambassador Publishing has since closed, leaving me with 40 plus bookcovers under my belt and memories of many, many 5 AM deadlines stress fests.

another point I forgot to mention, the place that I first suggested Larry and I meet in Hastings (Rainwater Grill) was Owned by his god son--you cant make this stuff up. 

Its a small world----but I wouldnt want to paint it!

Its nice to know something you painted had an effect on someone, even something like a commercial book cover. What you put into your art is what comes out of your art.