NEVER APOLOGIZE
FOR YOUR ART!
A friend,
giving me
THAT pin
a few years ago,
nudged me
across the line.
Sister Louisa Art
is the manifestation
of my thoughts
and feelings
that I have
in re-negotiating
my naive relationship
with Religion,
Politics,
and Sexuality.
Basically
FROM when I Believed,
Cared,
and could Pick a Team
and stick with it;
to where I am today,
The Happiest Man Alive.
ja ja ja
It took years
before I could say
that I am
an Artist.
Yearrrrrrrrs.
I grew up
in Panama City, Florida
in a fabulous modern ranch
with THE
original MONA LISA
over our 8′ long,
gold velvet
tufted,
low-slung sofa.
My Mother and Father
were adamant
that none of us three boys
were EVER allowed
in The Living Room;
except to vacuum DAILY.
There was an imaginary
gold velvet
rope and stanchion
between the Hall
and the
LIVING/DINING ROOM
Combination
that we KNEW
was never to be crossed.
That original
MONA LISA
was what
I knew
Art was.
I just assumed
my parents
were old enough
to have acquired IT
from Leonardo
himself.
It wasn’t until
I was in College,
practically,
that I first learned
that WE didn’t own
the original
MONA LISA.
(I’m serious.)
I love Jesus,
I love Clowns,
i love tacky-ass
Paint by Numbers
paintings.
I’ve always collected them.
It wasn’t until
I was in a pinch,
and ready to explode,
with nowhere to turn,
that I started
writing my thoughts
across them
when I saw those paintings.
I was now a self-professed
Artist
Who Didn’t Paint.
People started saying,
well,
you REALLY are
more like a Writer.
I’m NOT a writer,
I thought.
I KNOW a Writer,
but I am an Artist,
I finally could
say without
flinching.
One day,
way along in life,
after several deaths
of family and friends,
I sat down
and started writing.
Now,
I can admit
that I AM A WRITER
I AM A WRITER.
I’ve left gainful employment
and decided to pursue
a life of creativity
centered around
Sister Louisa’s Art
and
Sister Louisa’s Writing.
I can finally say
I AM AN ARTIST
and
I AM A WRITER.
If you have something
authentic inside of you
that you feel like
needs to be exposed
on the outside,
just damn do it.
Fuck it.
To not do it
is blasphemy,
it’s denying
the gifts
that you’ve
been given.
It’s your art.
Art doesn’t have to match
the damn sofa!
Art doesn’t even have to be
on a canvas.
Art doesn’t even have to be
pretty.
Art doesn’t even have to sell!
If your art
resonates
universally,
all the better,
perhaps you’ve
struck a cord.
If it doesn’t,
it’s still an outer expression
of your inner truths,
and THAT
is what matters.
_______________________________
*Sister Louisa is opening
SISTER LOUISA’S ART GALLERY
IN THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING ROOM
this Sunday, April 11, 2010
from 2pm-6pm
828 Ralph McGill Blvd, NE #106
Atlanta, Georgia 30306
Park on Ralph McGill,
come to the front door
of The Telephone Factory
and press #106
on the keypad
to gain access.
Feel free to come by,
peruse the Art,
chat with Sister Louisa.
Cash, Check, or Paypal Accepted.
