A while back I'm sketching on the street in San Juan, Puerto Rico, not far from a fancy hotel. A guy wearing old clothes comes up and sits quietly near me.
We don't talk much at first. But after a while he tells me he's an artist, too. I ask if I can sketch him, and he says, sure. He says he played bass in all the jazz clubs from New York to New Orleans.
This is the kind of spontaneous encounter that I'll be documenting in my next video called "Portraits in the Wild," which should be finished in a month or so.
Such a common biography for artists and musicians... Few are able to sustain themselves. Now I know why my parents encouraged me to major in a science and go to college. I was able to earn "spending" money on the weekends with my music, and pay for art lessons in my late 50's going that route... How does one decide if they have the talent/will/work ethic to take a chance on the arts? Someone once asked Chet Atkins what the secret was to a successful music career? His reply, "Make sure your wife has a good job"!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for the "portraits in the Wild" vid!!!
ReplyDeleteHe looks a bit like John Scofield;-)
ReplyDeleteVery nice work!!
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