September 25, 2006
I had an excellent art day yesterday, turning out a dozen sketches and paintings. Got started early and stayed with it. Not easy to do since I’m so easily distracted. One of the tricks I’ve learned is to make a list at breakfast in my daytimer of things I want to work on (not accomplish, but things I want to work on, which doesn’t put so much pressure on the outcome). This helps keep me focused. I can easily spend a whole day in my studio working on stuff that is not on any list! Ha.

I turned the cooler off in the studio last weekend. First time in four months it’s been off. Ran it yesterday, just in the daytime. The nights are cool. I’m wearing long pants on the early morning bike rides (as opposed to no pants).

We’ve got a new poll up. Vote now!

The loneliest highway in the West is:

a. Datil, New Mexico to Soccoro, New Mexico?

b. Las Vegas, Nevada to Reno, Nevada?

c. Thermopolis, Wyoming to Casper, Wyoming?

d. Fallon, Nevada to Ely, Nevada?

I’ve been on all of them and lean towards the Datil road, but maybe that’s because I’ve been on that one more. I’m curious to know which one you think is the loneliest.

Last week Larry Willis sent me that self-portrait he saw in Paris and I kind of wondered which BBB painting he was referring to, and looked in my morgue. Perhaps it’s this one?



If you saw the photo of my art desk two weeks ago, you undoubtably saw the big self-portrait of Rembrandt staring straight out. I was so prolific this weekend I whipped out an inspired piece called: “Billy the Kid Self-portrait at The Age of 63.” I’m sending it to Fred Nolan as punishment for sending me the Rembrandt poster.



And speaking of those big art posters put out by The Independent, did you know the Italians say Van Gog, the British say Van Goff and we say Van Go, and the Dutch pronunciation “is a real mouthful,” according to the text on the poster. Vincent is how he signed all his paintings. However you pronounce it, Mr. Van Gogh also has been an inspiration to me and my gunfighter tendencies. Here’s the poster, plus a calendar in our kitchen (of the same painting) and a Jesse James portrait by me. Uncanny? Or just blatant plagiarism? You be the judge.



”Copy-catting with full residuals is the sincerest form of flattery.”
—Vincent Van Google