Work is so good, I have little time for blogging. I leave you with this pic of my studio.

I got a very funny letter asking if my studio is as tidy as it is in the pictures, or whether I spruce it up for photos.

Yes, it is that tidy, but have no illusions about the storage room, which looks like a bomb went off.

“Why do people think artists are special? It’s just another job.”

Andy Warhol

“In visual arts, prodigies don’t count. In music and literature, yes, but not in art.”

Clement Greenberg

“I am a night painter, so when I come into the studio the next morning the delirium is over. I come into the studio very fearfully, I creep in to see what happened the night before. And the feeling is one of, “My God, did I do that?”.

Paul Guston

“If you want to have clean ideas, change them as often as you change your shirts.”

Francis Picabia

And because I am a working artist, and agree with Andy Warhol that it is a job, I sell my drawings. There are some nice pieces on ebay right now, with more going up this weekend. Do have a look. A particularly nice lot is the cover and all accompanying sketches for Peter David’s novel Mascot.

PS: Actually, work is good, but my head is not. Don’t know what bug is going around, but I was an unproductive zombie for about three days. My head still feels it, and I was up until 2 AM making up the work time last night. I am bloated with a feeling of accomplishment and the salty popcorn I munched all night trying to stay awake. Gained three pounds since yesterday and my eyes are half shut from the swelling.

I’ll drink a lot of water today. But man, I love popcorn.

Dear President Obama and Vice President Biden,

We, the undersigned, are just a few of the more than 11 million artists living, working, and creating across the United States. Our work brings significant cultural and economic value to our society – and contributes $1.52 trillion to the nation’s GDP. Yet that value is being disregarded as our rights and incentives to create are increasingly under threat.

Hear us as we speak with one voice about the importance of creators’ rights.

We are the essence of America. Since the founding of our country, our work has provided light in the darkness of conflict, humor in the depths of sadness, beauty in the face of ugliness, and reason in the dysfunction of division.

We serve as the foundation of our communities; you find us in schools, performance halls, libraries, museums, community centers, and movie houses. We enrich our culture with a wide range of creative expression, including music, film, software, video games, writing, photography, graphics, and other visual arts.

We contribute in some way to every single industry in the country. Many of us are self-employed. All of us work hard and pay taxes.

Yet, we are under assault. Our rights to control the distribution, use, and reproduction of our works in our vibrant digital age are dismissed by many who do not understand the value we bring to society. They tell us to work harder, create better, and give our works away. Some think that they should control our works and that they should be able to appropriate, perform, and copy them how they please, without our consent, benefit, or participation.

Our freedom as creators lies in the Constitutional rights we cherish, rights given to us to promote our culture. Without these rights, our ability to pursue our creative dreams and to meet the high expectations of those who benefit from our creative works are significantly diminished. As a result, all Americans will suffer.

Mr. President and Vice President, hear our call. We know you understand the value our creative contributions bring to our society and economy, and we know you can encourage our citizens to respect our rights. Please pursue policies supportive of the rights of artists and the encouragement of our creative efforts. Without the proper respect for our rights and works today, it will become even more difficult for us to create in the future.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SIGN THIS PETITION CLICK THIS LINK. THIS LETTER WILL BE DELIVERED TO THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT.