Art and the Homeless

Art should be challenging but not punishing. Give me a break. Practicing art is neurotic. Laughter is good for the heart. Rehearse the masterpiece like an actor auditioning for a part in a play.  In theater, an “aside” (as we all know), breaks the Fourth Wall. Likewise, in writing, writing in the first person singular violates the Fourth Wall Rule of Writing.  When a painting violates the Fourth Wall the painting is said not to repose. “Kayfabe” is a professional wrestling term corresponding to the Fourth Wall in stage plays. Antics, such as wrestlers leaping outside the boxing ring, make the audience howl with laughter. Art must have such a touch of madness. A musical performance, in which the audience is encouraged to sing along, is camp. Camp entertainment is for the troops, the rank-and-file. It boosts morale. It makes me smile. Definition of Trigger Speech: An audience hears a joke approach and, in anticipation of the punchline, laughs prematurely as if by conditioned re...

My motto is "write what you know, paint what you can." More often, it's a matter of 'when you can,' because the ideas don't come everyday. But if I don't (when I can) the hand gets stiff. A new work of art is an answer without a question, as an enigma is a question without an answer. "What are you going to do about this?" -it seems to ask (as if the viewer were guilty). You don't have to answer the question. At one point I had to decide what to do with a robust (but not excitingly innovative) painting style (such as mine). In the best works of art, style and subject support one another -in concert (to borrow an idiom from music). Perhaps virtuoso-and-accompanist would be a better simile. Style and subject should be complementary.  For the longest time, long after controversy had died, I was unable to resist the thrill of abstract painting. The re-introduction of subject matter only slowed the action. Gradually, I realized different subjects m...

Is opioid abuse a problem of epidemic scale in China, as it is here? If China is the main producer of fentanyl (as claimed), one would assume there should be a problem in China, as well as here. Strange as it seems, there is no indication that it is, and not for failure to inquire. Granted, that if it is not reported in the news, as here, might be due to stringent controls over news media by the Chinese government. Amazingly, that supposed state control of the truth extends to the rest of the world. I got the chance to ask a Chinese friend recently. "Be candid," I implored him. "Is the truth being suppressed?" It was explained to me by my Chinese friend that oppressive control by the government of China is involved -but not media suppression, as I suspected. It is an established fact (not a conspiracy theory) that the government of China controls the economy from top to bottom. That central control includes vice, which, in turn, includes narcotics -specifically fent...

All politics is local, so, I signed-up for email bulletins from the City about issues that concern my work as an artist. The statement copied here arrived in my inbox like the shriek of an emergency vehicle siren. These numbers are not looking good. I suppose that when nothing can be done, compiling data is the only alternative. I didn't choose the subject of homelessness on a whim. It's undeniably a fact, one that's always there and in my face, so to speak. It's an obstacle, one that is not moving, not going away, and not cooperating. I finally had to admit it's dishonest to ignore it. Long gone are the idyllic days of “art for art's sake.” Now, art's a crime scene. From the report: May 12, 2023 New Public Health Report Shows Sharp Rise in Mortality Among People Experiencing Homelessness   Increase Driven by Fentanyl-Related Deaths, Traffic Deaths, and Homicides   The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has released its fourth annual report on mo...