The Mountains Shall Bring Peace to the People....

Just wrapped up my first one-man show yesterday at The Creative Alternative in Macon, GA.  Would like to thank Brooks Dantzler for hosting it and allowing me the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people.  Love ya Mama D!!!!  I'm talking to someone too about another gallery show too.  I'll let you know the details on that as soon as I get it figured out. 

Been making a lot of changes to my life lately.  I left the drama of the old hometown and headed to the Northeast GA Mountains.  I wanted to find a place where I could be around creative people, people who appreciated art, and to find peace within myself.  So far, I have a good start at achieving all three.  If I could only slow down enough to enjoy it. 

This year has definitely had it's challenges.  Along with the hassle and expenses of moving, there hasn't been much cooperation from the weather.  Rain has made it much more difficult for artists like myself who make a living doing art shows.  Luckily, I have met several new customers since I relocated that have really helped to ease the burden.  God's been helping a whole lot too.  I've really been amazed at the prayers he's answered. 

As far as art goes, I'm just now getting back into the groove of it.  I feel a little bit of a shift in style coming, and have been really wanting to get away from some of the crazy stuff for a while and do more of my memory paintings.  I have a lot of those old family memories that I want to share before they are lost. 

As far as Me is going, I'm tired.  I'm ready to rest some and slow the pace down just a little bit.  I've done a lot of 2 show weekends lately.  I still feel like i'm spinning through life lost with little or no direction.  On a journey but running around in circles at the moment.  I have a feeling a lot of that is fixing to change though, excited to see how much.  Hopefully one day I'll remember to ask how to pronounce her last name. 

Me and Women... a brief synopsis.

Looking back over my life, I've always had problems with women.  Even though I feel like I've always related to women better, and most of my best friends are women, I just have trouble with relationships.  I guess it all started when I was about 3 or 4 years old, the family who lived next door to us at the time had a daughter about my age.  It's been so long ago that I don't even remember their names.  I was always terrified of this little girl, and I'm positive that she has grown into a Devil Woman much like ones that I depict in my art.  Anytime I would see her outside I would refuse to go.  The problem with her is that she would always bite the hell out of me.  It wouldn't be a vicious dog attack like bite.  She would play nice and sweet for a while and even promise not to bite me but before it was all said and done, I knew she would.  Had they not moved away, I'm sure I would have been bitten to death by the time I was eight. 

I was a shy, awkward kid.  I haven't changed much really.  People that see the crazy side of me are surprised to learn how shy I really am.  If you've followed my stories for a while, you've already read the one about me falling in the holly bush, and my bad experience with the nurse, both women. Both of those explain my clumsiness and naivety.  I'm still a little of both of those too. 

You'll have to catch me in person to get me to tell you stories about individual relationships, but just tell me which ones you want to hear.  There are the "Babygirl Sagas",  "The Married Years", "The Girl Who Run Me Out Cause I Said Her Butt Stank (that one is a classic)", "The Mole-Titty"  and a couple of stories involving midgets, just to name a few.  There are some fond memories of each but they all end in failure. 

I have come to the conclusion that I will never understand women. So, I have decided that maybe I should make it easier for them to understand me.  I tried the internet dating thing right after my divorce, without a whole lot of luck.  People don't like honesty on those things.  They're looking for someone who lies about enjoying yachting, vacationing in Paris, and quiet walks in the park.  I offered someone who is broke as hell, don't much give a shit about anything, whose hobbies include making art and eating 'mater biscuits.

So here is a brief summary of how to understand me: 

I make art not because I like to, but I have to.  It's not the most profitable career I could have chosen, but it is my calling, my passion, and will be my journey. 

I'm self centered.  My world revolves around me.  I won't notice if you get a haircut or have new ear rings.  You will have to point things out to me. I'm very driven at achieving the goals that I have. 

 I'm not able to read your mind. I'm also not very observant.  I won't know anything until you tell me.

I probably don't give a shit.  That pretty much answers questions like, "Where do you want to go eat?"  "What type of shoes should I wear?"

I can't make multiple choice decisions.  I still don't have cookware because everytime I go into the store to look at it, I can't decide which set to get and burst into tears and leave crying. 

I'm immature, I decided what I want to be when I grow up.  I want to be a kid.  Always expect a practical joke or one of any number of childish acts to occur. 

I snore and fart in my sleep.  That one should be self explanatory. 

I'm moody. 

I like Tomato Biscuits. 

The one that most women I've encountered have with me though is, I'm not going to change. 

That's a good start on understanding me.  If anybody meets those qualifications and would like to hear Round 2-14.  Just let me know. 

On the Road Again....

Can't wait to get on the road again.  Only about 3 weeks away from my first show of the year.  Alot has changed since my last post on here, including my address.  So don't go to the little white house behind the post office in Concord, GA looking for me.  I don't live there anymore.  I enjoyed my time there and have some great memories.  I just had to get out for fear of losing my sanity.  I'd lost all desire to pretty much do anything, including making art and living. 

I came to realize that I'm hauling way too much of the past around with me.  Both material and personal baggage that has me weighted down.  So, I'll likely be thinning out my collection in the near future.  I've gotten my head back thinking right and gotten back to work.  I'm my own worst critic, but I'm very happy with the stuff i've done lately.  Hope the public enjoys it too.  

The most important thing that I've learned during all of this is how much most people care.  Also learned how to drop a few folks out of my life that were a hinderance to it.  I'm really looking forward to my next couple of shows, Folk to Fine Arts in Commerce, GA and the Doo-Nanny in Seale, AL....  The Doo-Nanny is my favorite show of the year, by far.  It's the one place where I can be all the SamG that I want to be.  Should be meeting a lot of people I know from the internet but never met in person.  Look forward to that too.  I love doing shows.  Love to get out and meet new people, experience new things, and hear some cool music.  Looking at some new markets to work on this year too. 

For those that don't know me well, I worked a travelling job for 5 years before I decided to pursue art as a career.  I worked for Advance Auto Parts setting up and remodeling stores.  Got to see a lot of the country that I wouldn't have ever seen.  For the record, Cape Cod, Mass has the ugliest people in the USA.  It put the road in my blood though, desire to go, see, and experience.  I'd turned into a hermit the last several months.  Now I just can't wait to get on the road again........

2012..... looking back..... looking ahead

I look back at 2012 with a lot of positives and negatives.  The biggest positive is all of the wonderful friends I've made and the opportunity to meet so many people and share my art and give out a couple thousand "Free Hugs!"  One of the goals I hoped to achieve this year was to be an inspiration to other artists.  I think I've laid a good foundation and hope to continue doing that.  I've made people smile, which is why I make art to begin with.  I'm happy also with the development of my art, I've done some different type of work and have been mostly pleased with my output.  The art part of me has gone pretty well. 

Struggles this year have been in my personal life.  Relationship problems, financial difficulties, and depression top the list. I've become way too reclusive.  Some of those will carry over into the new year, but that's just everyday life stuff.  I'm looking at making some changes over the next year.  The old "If it ain't working, change something" quote comes to mind.  I've been reading my Bible lately, asking God for his direction.  Was reading about the part about having a light and hiding it under a bushel.  Kinda spoke to me and told me I need to let my light shine even more. 

So my New Year's Resolution, "Make Changes, Take Chances, Shine Brightly!"

Happy New Year My Friends

SamG

Why I continue to make art

 

 

I get asked all the time, how I got started making art.  I tell them about the now exwife fussing about me for being laid off and not having a job and taking the online career quiz that said that I should be an artist.  Another question I'm often asked is where do I get my inspiration?  I usually answer that with the statment ideas just pop into my head over morning coffee.  I question that I'm asked on occassion is where do I get my drive?  Why do I continue to make art?  I hope to answer that one here. 

 

The above painting is one of the pieces in my collection.  It is one of my favorites actually, but by far the most expensive.  I bought it for 50cents at a yard sale.  It is a painting done on cardboard titled "American Air Plane Carrier" signed Auberlene Myhand and dated 1933.  I really like the fact that it displays a part of history, from the time it was actually occuring and the colors have held up very well.  I've been able to find out very little about Auberlene Myhand, in fact, all I was able to find was a photograph of her tombstone.  I used to walk the cemetery with my grandmother.  She was in her 90's when she passed away.  Many of the graves in the old part of the cemetery were unmarked other than a rock with no inscription, or weathered to the extent they were no longer readable.  She knew who was in every one of them though.  I've often thought about that after her passing, nobody may know who these people were anymore. 

 

As I go through graveyards now, I begin to wonder that if in time all that will be known about the people lying in them will be the year they were born and died.  No mention anywhere of what occurred in between, the life they lived.  I want more than that.  I want to leave something behind that said I was here.  I'd guess you'd call it a legacy.  Just something to say SamG was here. 

 

Auberlene Myhand may not have left much of a legacy, one painting and a picture of her tombstone is all I've been able to find.  However, what little bit of her I have discovered has inspired me enough that I wanted to tell you about her.  Isn't that what creates a legacy to begin with???  



The Navy Days

For a brief period back in the late 1990's I was in the US Navy.  I say brief period because I was only in for 4 months.  Some times I think that it may be best for our Country, considering that I was enlisted in the Nuclear Science program.  Most people don't know that I'm a genius.  I always say that I'm a genius that has never learned to apply himself.  Can you imagine me getting to play with stuff that can blow up the planet? 

I started Boot Camp in May 1999 in Orlando, FL.  I didn't care for it too much, but tried to stay low and keep out of trouble.  That's what got me into trouble.  The Company Commander called my name one day to go on a work detail.  There were about 12 of us that were chosen.  We started right after breakfast doing landscape work out in front of the Division building.  It was miserably hot that day.  Orlando in the summer, gets really hot.  We mowed grass with one of hose man-powered lawn mowers, even though there wasn't a blade of grass out there.  I think they wanted the rocks neatly manicured.  We also planted bushes, painted some landscape timbers white, placed them around the bushes we planted and filled it all full of pinestraw.  It did look rather nice.  We reported back to our company just in time for supper.  Upon our arrival, we were asked to turn in our 100 sentences that we were supposed to write.  We advised our Company Commander that we were not aware of such assignment, as we had been on work detail all day.  He then stated, "I don't care where you were, I wanted everybody to write them."  We were dead tired from working in the heat all day, and one of my friends was sun burned so bad that he had 2nd degree burn blisters on his ears.  The Company Commander, CPO Faust, advised us to come see him upon returning from supper. 

So after we got back, we were told to go have a seat in the lounge.  The lounge was a little small room just off the main barracks.  Out of the 70 people in our Company, 12 of us from the work detail and about 6 others, who hadn't completed their assignment, were told to go get in full uniform, including canteens and raincoats.  CPO Faust, who ironically as in  the Legend of Faust who sold his soul to the devil, had to have had some dealings with the devil himself, turned off the air conditioning and laid wet towels under the door.  Then he proceeded to snap his fingers in tempo for 4 1/2 hours.  While he was snapping his fingers, he was steadily barking orders, Push up position, Run in Place, 12 Count Bodybuilders, etc.... Sweat was a half inch deep in the floor making the tile impossible to stand on before the end.  People were falling every couple of minutes.  With about 30 minutes left, I lost my footing and went crashing.  My knee was killing me, but I continued to the best of my ability.  Which with a Company Commander screaming in your ear, was still close to 100%. 

Finally, it was over and we were told to go shower.  My knee had swollen up huge.  After my shower, I went to talk to CPO Faust and show him my knee.  He asked me if I thought it needed to be seen by a doctor, and I told him yes.  I was then given a map to the Naval Hospital.  I'd never been off base before and it was about 11:30 at night.  What CPO Faust did not tell me was that it was about 6 miles to the Naval Hospital.  Remember now, I'd been up since 4:30 am, worked on work detail, trimming rocks and planting bushes all day, and just done 4 1/2 hours of calisthenics, and I had a hurt knee.  By mile 4, I was steadily cursing CPO Faust.  I got to the hospital, saw the Doctor for 5 mins who told me to come back and see him on Monday, and walked back.  Still cursing.  Arrive back in the barracks at 4:30am, laid down, took a deep breath and closed by eyes just long enough for someone to kick the door in and throw a metal trash can across the room.  You guessed it CPO Faust.  Later on in the morning, just after I'd finished my swim test, which consisted of jumping off the diving board and swimming a mile,  he asked me how the doctor visit went, and wanted to know why I didn't take the bus.  I kept wondering why the bus was going by me on my midnight walk every 5 minutes.  Damn You CPO Faust... So anyways, Doctor said I had a bad knee and got me medically discharged.  While I was waiting for all that to happen, they put to work painting inside the Naval Hospital.  Yep, I took the bus.

Hmmmm......

I saw where in my last post that I'd promise to update this more regularly.  That was back in September.  I have my last scheduled show of the year coming up this Saturday at the Piedmont Folk Art Show in Lancaster, SC.  There is a chance I may do another the following weekend.  Check the website for details if I do.

I've been working hard making art and handling the business side of things.  Sometimes I wish I had someone else to do the latter part.  I love making art and going out and doing shows and meeting people, but most of the other I dont care for that much.  Art has become my career choice, but I do it for the fun of it.  I've always said if it ever becomes work, I'll quit.

I'm still having fun though, tons of it.  I hear a lot of people talk about professionalism, marketing strategies, and all the blah blah business words in relation to their art as a business.  I hope that I never get that way.  I just plan on being myself, doing things the way I want to, being good to people and having fun. I've said before if somebody was looking for professionalism, they wouldn't be looking at my art anyway. 

As I wind down my first full year of being a full-time artist, I can say that I'm very pleased with the results.  I've made a lot of new friends, sold a good bit of art, there are a whole lot more people out there who know who SamG is.  People ask me why I do art.  I'll tell you.  I want to leave a legacy.  I want to know that when my time has come to leave this world, that I've made as much of an impact on it as I can.  I'm sitting here looking at a painting that's in my collection.  It's nothing fancy, but it is one that I really like.  It's of an early aircraft carrier and is signed and dated 1933.  All I can find out about the artist is the information on her tombstone.  I don't want my life summed up on a piece of granite.  I jokingly tell people, I don't care much about the fortune, but I do want the fame.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas.

SamG