First things. Please help me spread the word that I have another caricature workshop at Art Students League the first week of February! Sign up if you want or pass it on to someone you know that might like a fun time exploring the many ways to exaggerate the human face.
It's currently the day after my Friday newsletter update. It's a day and a half before the end of the year and Molly brought home this great salsa jazz record, The Fania All Stars from Quimby's book store, that I woke up to. She has been obsessed with chess for the last 6 months. We play every morning over espresso now.
Let's pretend the gap between the opening paragraphs and this one is several days and I am now writing in January of 2024... because I am. Our annual party had just the right amount of people. I hadn't seen some folks since last year's party. Everyone seemed to have a good time. I kept my drinking down to nothing before the countdown at midnight. Then it was drink time for me! I have so much help that I’m grateful for by so many awesome friends during our parties. Chris, my neighbor from our previous residence, took a garbage bag down when he left. Vee, Molly's assistant, would help with this and that. My neighbor, Aliaksei from downstairs, grabbed his nice wine opener and brought it up when we couldn't find one. My friend Charles Grabbed a bag of ice and his wine opener. He announced the count down and then sang a few opera tunes to everyone's delight. I was never worried that I couldn't find some assistance if needed. Terrell brought an amazing salmon salad dish and other things that all became our breakfast on the 1st of January! Most people showed up with liquor of some sort and there was more weed this year. I think it was all smoked though. But not by me! In all it was a nice party to wrap up a turbulent year.
I go to the gym after Molly beats me at chess in the morning. There is a homeless guy who sleeps under the Williamsburg Bridge that I pass every time. Picture some ancient prophet from the wilderness with long matted hair, ZZ Top beard, mumbling to an astronaut in a different universe and wearing a winter cap on top, that’s his usual appearance. If he acknowledged the natural world, I would expect him to pop up and ask me riddles to cross under the bridge. I've been walking past him almost daily for the last 2 years. One month ago as I approached the spot where he is almost always laying in a sleeping bag on the sidewalk off to the side, he had shaved his entire head. He now looked like a human with recognizable facial features. And then he made eye contact and a waving gesture while wearing a slight smile on his smooth featured face. This caught me off guard. I had been convinced he barely saw reality let alone me and here he was pleasantly smiling and waving at me as if he recognized me. I returned his wave and smile as I continued past and immediately he went right back to talking to the imaginary pirate sailing by in his turbocharged square bubble electric fly fly.
I continued walking to the gym past the gorgeously fluffy white pile of cat holding down the floor of the weed shop (the cat in my “Yearend Fizzle” sub stack). I couldn't get over what just happened. He saw me? I had power walked my way past him so many times barely giving him a glance. He never seemed to be aware of my presence. Did completely shaving his head cut down the noise and allow him to see reality? Or just me? Or was I becoming aware I was just an imaginary person in his imaginary world? I kept coming back to it throughout the day. It was kind of special in that way of “a bird shit on my head while I was on my way to an important meeting” what are the chances???
I look forward to the new year. I see the transition from the previous year to the present as a reset. OK, I don't know what kind of cluster fuck that last year was, but we're in a new year and maybe we can get it “right” this go 'round? I want to do more commissions, be in more group shows, and make some fun comics. I'm waiting on paperwork to come through before I go public, but my next comic book is going to be an instant favorite of mine!
Thank you for starting the year with me. I hope the year is the best for everyone! All we can do is just keep going.
Perfect Biden!
Really love the drawing of your folks' back yard. Very charming, very intimate–feels very immersive.