Chasing the Dragon
oil on canvas
9" x 12"
Last week, a homeless man walked past my easel and said, "Hey, get a life!" He was wearing a sweater that said "American Eagle, est. 1977."
Painting pictures is still dumb. Fortunately for me, however, there are plenty of fine people out there who have mistaken my ability to paint pictures of crusty subjects better captured with a cell phone as some sort of gift from God. These wildly inaccurate presumptions led me to Cumberland, Maryland last week.
I had a great time pretending to be an artist in the "Free State". Cumberland has it all...friendly down-and-outers, self-proclaimed fine art aficionados, vacant storefronts, a 100-year-old wiener restaurant, and a serious heroin problem. I painted the beautiful church spires, the train engines and their tracks, the monuments to industries of yore, and the scenic beauty of the Potomac Highlands...but...
There was an inflatable Halloween decoration en route to the interstate overpass that seemed to say much more about the Queen City.
It's hard to say if any of my paintings from Cumberland are worth their salt, but I feel like I just stepped off the stage after starring in a depressing piece of dinner theater. I'm just here to entertain you while you slurp your soup.
