Saturday, May 22, 2004

The above a painting is one of the two that I will be submitting either today or tomorrow for the Sowebo gallery.

Today or either tomorrow I will be dropping off my artwork for the Sowebo festival. I’ve chosen two pieces of artwork. One is of a woman with two Elvis impersonators. The other is of a woman with a big hat smiling on a rail. I don’t know if I have to attach prices to theses pieces or not. Allegedly because I participated by submitting a poster I get to exhibit for free. I believe that if you did not donate a poster you have to pay either 3 or 5 dollars per painting. The maximum amount of paintings you can submit to the show is three.

Several years ago when I was working at Maryland General Hospital I submitted artwork for the festival. The only way I knew about it was that there was an ad in the City Paper. Back then the paper used to have a listing in it called art opportunities. It was were artists could submit there work. That column has long since been eliminated.

Back then I had to go to this place called Gallery M to drop off my artwork for Sowebo. I recall there was a very long line the day I came to drop off my painting. I had no idea there were that many artists in Baltimore. I remember a guy name Gabriel was in charge of it. He had a big black dog. When I finally got in the gallery, Gabriel’s dog kept sniffing my butt. It was very unnerving. I remember I had to pay either three or five dollars for the painting I submitted. I recall that when I finally got in the gallery, Gabe looked admiring at it and said he liked it. At the time it had no name. I told him it was called, The Searcher. Right there on the spot the painting had a name.

I remember when I came to pick up the painting I felt proud. The painting was on the gallery wall and it looked like it belonged there. I felt like I was a real artist. I believe the gallery that I went to is no longer around. I recall it was somewhere on Hollins Street. That day was my first time ever in that section of town. All I knew about that part of town was that a lot of artists lived there. When I got there I found it scary and desolate looking. I’d never seen so much abject poverty. Little did I know that I would end up living there many years later....