Play Ground (2012)

Play Ground (2012) oil on canvas, 18 x 14 inches

Dear Alex

This post is a short tribute to my brother, Alex. He was adopted from Columbia by my father and step-mother and is thirteen years younger than me. Over twenty years have passed since this photo was taken. Since then, I have become a painter and this little boy has become one of my biggest supporters. I am very lucky. Alex is a very empathetic and thoughtful young man. I also recently discovered that he is a gifted writer. I hope he does not mind that I share a portion of his letter. He's only 25 and already so wise. Anyway, this post is for you, Alex, for no particular reason except to say thank you for being a part of my family.

Excerpt of a letter written by me to my brother, Alex:

I am not happy if I am not able to make art. When I started painting, I think I did so instinctively. I wasn’t very happy and I needed an outlet. For a long time, I entertained the idea of being some sort of famous painter, but I know now that was an unrealistic goal. It is hard trying to be a professional artist and making money. However, I still want to exhibit and make new work and share it with others. After years of painting, I have never let go of how it makes me feel to make a piece of art. Being creative gives me peace, relaxation, escape, and joy. So many aspects of life are routine or mundane or stressful. When I am making art, I forget about everything else and I am able to get lost in imagery. It stops me from worrying because I become so focused on the art. In the end, I see a product of self-expression and this is satisfying.

Excerpt from his letter back:

The fact of the matter is that your goals are not absurd … As far as I’m concerned there are people who can sit at a shit job for hours because they value the pay and how it allows them to live a lifestyle at home that they enjoy. For these people this is enough. Then there are others that work jobs they hate because they have to – sadly income is kind of essential to live. We are fortunate to have the means and foundation to pursue education that opens doors into areas we /want/ to work but our journey is kind of vexing as even after the time and effort we put into pursuing our dreams we often find ourselves in fruitless situations. We just happen to have a passion that eclipses any desire of pursuing areas we are not interested in simply because they are easier or pay better. I think it was Confucius who said something to the effect of “the young squander their health to attain wealth and then spend their wealth re-attaining their health and youth.” I guess to me I feel that a career path is a pivotal part of who we are as people. The amount of time and energy spent in a career path has to amount to more than simply income otherwise we are squandering our specific skills and not indulging our interests. Your field may make this difficult, but not impossible. I know you’re probably tired of adversity and pep-talks but to be honest I think there’s something vaguely romantically idealistic and certainly inspiring about your journey.

ColorScrapes Reception tonight!

a wall of "ColorScrapes"