I went to visit a friend last week to watch the Seahawks play the 49ers. Marshawn Lynch is the running back for the Seattle Seahawks and has nicknamed his style of running the football Beast Mode. When Lynch says Beast Mode it sounds something like “Beef Mo.” I find this generally awesome. And so, this week, when I became very upset with myself for not getting everywhere I wanted to be, I took care of myself and then came back to my work for some serious Beef Mo. A friend had just lined up a solo show. Frankly, I was feeling a little jealous. I know that’s an ugly emotion to have, but it’s the truth. I want a solo show too. I want one bad. I’ve felt so jaded about my work getting anywhere lately that I have been ignoring the business aspects of trying to get into new galleries. The wake up call has come.
And so Beef Mo and the soundtrack to The Man With the Iron Fists is carrying me through. I want to finish this large cross hatched piece and get more work like it started. I want a gigantic show of it. I want it as soon as possible and I want to listen to the RZA all the while that I am making that work!
Here’s a couple images of how it’s starting to come out now.
I cranked out a bunch of this piece super early on Sunday morning. I woke up a little bit before 5. I’ve been thinking that I need to do a lot more early morning work, that that is the key to me getting work done, but then I got home from watching a movie with my friend Julie tonight and I realized that all I wanted to do was work on this piece more. My friend’s solo show is getting me fired up. I don’t like being left behind. I know it’s not a competition, but I’d like to be there and I can be. So away we go.
I am totally digging on this large scale cross-hatched work with the brush. I feel like I am getting better with it too. One would hope that I would. Thus far it’s been a good experience though. I am very pleased. I am also pleased to have had a couple moments this week where I just went to painting again as a gut response to life. I need that to be okay.
Hope you’re digging the stuff. Let me know if y’all need any work for Christmas. We’re getting close to cut off time if you want something to be done in time for Christmas or Hanukkah (we are totally non-discriminating here). Til next time.
Peace
=Mike