it's almost over

It’s Wednesday and the show was a success. We had just over 50 guests who came to show support for the work being shown at the Gallery. I spent 4 grueling hours answering questions, taking pictures, and explaining my art over and over and over and over and over……………..one more over again. This whole experience hasn’t hit me yet and it’s seems like it isn’t even happening. I felt like a rock star for once. A Haitian one with swagger like Mc Jagger. The press were very stern and very exact with their questions and it gave me the whole “everything you say will be held against you” feeling so I chose my words especially carefully. The ethics in the country is highly questionable as well so my trepidation was high. I definitely learned in order to be a successful artist one must know how to talk about their work and explain it so people can easily understand what it is you’re trying to say. There were three white women who came up to me, who were born in the country and laughed at how much my paintings reminded them of things they did when they were young. Mission accomplished.
The whole faculty and senior critics from NYAA I was able to interact with helped me come to this point in many ways. Peter Cox was the instructor that became one of the pivotal people to stop me from leaving the academy when I felt as though I was wasting my time by leaving the gaming industry. The academy has it’s quality issues indeed, but in terms of my personal experience I grew as an artist because the time I spent at the academy. What killed the moment at some point was I started looking around and for the first time during my whole trip I felt alone. I did not have a single familiar face to hug and enjoy having my first solo with. No Craig, Gamal, Lucie, Nadia, Lucion, Cousins, Mom Dad, Andrae, Philip, Dave, Panni, Maggaret, Amber, Taehun (sp), Mark, Mike, Peter, Ian, Elvin, Andrew, Tim, John J, Peter Cox, Steven Assael, Catherine, Harvey C, John (sculptor), Ted, Will Cotton, Jason, Jacquelyn, Brian, Kayla, Maya, Lenny, Elizabeth, Yancy (Mi Hermano), Elaine, Tiya, Charlene, Vincent, Courtney (my love) or Mr. Budzyn to enjoy this special moment with. My mood suddenly changed and I took a couple of seconds to gather myself before going downstairs where the visitors were. I felt a cold coming along and sure enough by the time I got home my body was not feeling right. I woke up in the middle of the night and I have a terrible sore throat. This suckitty sucks, because I really want to leave Bulawayo drunk and partied out of my ashy ass and this is preventing me. Maybe this is a sign for me to make sure I’m prepared to leave with nothing left behind. I wish the boy David was here too. So many Dave Chapelle moments man seriously. The days are going by fast and I am trying to finish on a positive note. I spoke to some of the more successful international artists from the city and visited their studios. I met a guy named Charles Bebe who painted figures in an abstract way but they were realistic. The paintings look like weaving patterns. You would have to see it to believe it. Finally someone who could properly paint the figure. Him and I had a long conversation about art in Africa and art in the National Gallery, and this guy definitely has the chops. I showed him the artists that influenced my work and the website to NYAA, and he was quite impressed. He had no idea schools like this exist at all. The information is so limited here that it’s really inspiring to see someone like Bebe actually learn how to paint proper well proportioned figures without much past instruction. I spoke to another artist who was female and Russian. Her name was Ulia. She was cute in nature and very warm spirited not to mention nice on the eyes. She expressed the same concern Bebe had about the Gallery in which my program took place. Artist at the Gallery aren’t creating personal work anymore like the class that graduated with them. Somehow both believe the artist started creating abstract work to avoid having to learn to draw the figure. I am teaching a drawing and painting workshop at the moment and it is grueling having to make so many corrections to people’s drawings. At first I was nice and gave compliments, but later in the day I started letting the cat out of the bag giving the real to people. I’ve been jotting down ideas for the next couple of works I’ll be creating once I get back. Some real cool things cooking in old head. Sci-fi is coming back indeed.

So one of the women at the Gallery just barged into room and started asking me personal questions out of not where. “Are you married? How old are you? You have kids? You have a girlfriend? What do you think about the women who work here?” I answered them all and just like the spit that escapes a screaming mouth she disappeared. The other artists came over last night and asked me to go out drinking with them and I had to decline. I am really not feeling well, and my throat feels like it has chicken bones lodged in. I spoke to the new guests at the lodge, and we had good times talking about America. A married woman started telling me about her experience here and word on the street is African men are the worst to marry. I’ve spoken to three women now who are in horrible marriages and talk about how the culture supports a misogynistic way of having a family. Many of the men apparently have wives, and it is normal to have women on the side to fill up the value meal order. It is also common for men to leave the house and spend a few days out without ever having to answer to the wife or kids, if they have any. Divorce is nigh impossible with the courts and cultural law siding with the male as well, which is totally opposite from the States where men go down son during a divorce. It was hard to hear what many women experience in this country. I’m getting sleepy. I have to save energy for part two of the workshop. Will blog later. Peaces. Oh tomorrow I get to see Lions. Finally!