I drown in petroleum distillates.

subway, originally uploaded by printtroll.

Last weekend I took a trip to NYC with my friend Terrance to pick up my motorcycle. After spending nearly a year commuting from western Ma to NYC to teach at Pratt I wasn’t looking forward to the 3 hour drive. It was much more pleasant than I remember it being. T and I went to the Metropolitan Museum and saw a lot of art in a little over four hours. The Rembrandt’s always make me want to be a better artist. After the museum we went to the top of the Empire State Building a treat you can’t do unless you are with a tourist. It is amazing how much building is going on in the city we counted six buildings going up that were over 40 stories. T said it is crazy how tightly everything is packed in here.

After dinner we headed to my favorite bar The Whiskey Ward and met up with Joe, who I used to teach with. After some very tasty scotch and a couple of guiness we headed off to crash on some friends couch. I took this shot on our way to Brooklyn.

Explaining the gift 5, originally uploaded by printtroll.

Mary Ellen was my high school art teacher. Even though she was only at my school for my senior year she inspired me in a way that I can only describe as life deciding. Who the hell knows what is important in life at 17 and she made me understand that life is about giving back, whether it is through art, music, theater, teaching it doesn’t matter. It is for this reason that I decided to give her the first of Tracie’s prints.

Tracie wants her prints to affect people, she makes them to give away to make people excited about life and art. I believe this is exactly what Mary Ellen did for me and what she does for all her students.

Mary Ellen’s excitement is obvious from these pictures and they do not even begin to express it. Our conversation after she received the gift turned to the idea of empathy and how the print is the embodiment of empathy.

After my telling her about the print and Tracie’s ideas on why she gives them away Mary went to her attic and found an empty frame. The one she found had symbols meaning graditude. It was an exciting afternoon that both me and Mary wanting to make work.