one year to go!

As I type this post, I am currently stressed over a trip I am taking tomorrow to a place that in my mind is akin to Hell on Earth – Las Vegas. I will be working a trade show on my feet for 10 hours a day, and I cannot, nor do I want to describe the level of misery that is. That said, I am elated knowing that exactly a year from now I will be boarding a plane not to Hell on Earth, but closer to Heaven, to Champagne-Ardenne, France. There I will be spending the month of June as an Artist in Residence at Chateau Orquevaux International Artist & Writers Residence. I will have my own bedroom and my own studio and the TIME to paint! Besides that, I will also be with a group of other Artists, living with them, eating with them, conversing with them, traveling with them, and learning from them. The immense value of this experience cannot yet, nor may ever be fully quantified. I have traveled and been inspired. I have had unique educations that led to careers. This Adventure, however, may very well be the most epic and rewarding experience yet.

Last Summer, I was forced into the realization of the brevity of life, and looking inward, the understanding that the time I have must be used wisely, adventurously, without hinderance, without deterrence, so that I may, as my younger self used to dream, look back on my life without regret, and with the knowledge that to the best of my ability, I truly Lived.

And so, it was then that I applied to Chateau Orquevaux as a Painter. Was I good enough to get into a Residency that only accepts 20% of applicants? And if I did, could I even afford it? And if I could, was I prepared to leave everything behind and take that risk? And if all the answers were Yes, what will it all mean in the end? Ars Longa, Vita Brevis - Occasio Praeceps, Experimentum Periculosum, Iudicium Difficile.

I have two plans in mind for this trip. The first involves having no plan at all, and the second involves planning everything to the minute. The actual plan will fall somewhere in the middle. As for painting, given that I will have every day to paint both in my Studio & en plein air, I expect I will produce quite a collection. I will also be writing – possibly the beginning of my 2nd novel if God allows me the inspiration to finish my first this year. I also am planning on documenting the experience with photography and video on YouTube, Instagram, and this Blog. I can’t take anyone with me on this journey, but I hope you will follow along and be there with me in Spirit.

Over the next couple months, I will be posting on this website Giclee Prints of many of my paintings on both canvas and paper for sale. Paper Prints will also be available at INDUSTRY in Huntington Village. I also now have a GoFundMe set up for your generous donations. As a Special Thank You, I will be sending letters from France to all my customers and those who donate on GoFundMe. I know, a letter doesn’t sound “Special,” but I will try to make it so.

Thank You to all my friends, family, and appreciators of my Art.

PV3