Vacation Is Over

It wasn't really much of a vacation--just some time out to read a (surprisingly long--150,000 words by my count) detective novel. And while I enjoyed "Double Whammy" quite a bit, I was reminded of Woody Allen's theory that his films should run no more than 90 minutes. Otherwise they bog down. Note to Mr. Hiaasen.

In truth, I was back in the studio Friday evening, experiencing such a spasm of creative energy that I was shaking like I'd just had five beatnik speedballs.

Are you familiar with this term?

For context, Wikipedia writes the following re. actual speedballs:

Actors John Belushi, Chris Farley, and River Phoenix, comedian Mitch Hedberg, former Major League Baseball pitcher Eric Show, keyboardist Brent Mydland of The Grateful Dead, drummer Robbie McIntosh from Average White Band, as well as Alice in Chains' singer, Layne Staley are all reported to have died after taking speedballs. There is speculation of Jim Morrison's death being attributable to speedballing. Depeche Mode lead singer, Dave Gahan, suffered a heart attack from overdosing on a speedball in 1996. He survived the incident and later gave up the drug. Original Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler suffered a stroke after taking a particularly potent speedball. While he survived, he now lives with a speech impediment as a result. Megadeth members Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson also admitted using speedballs in the band's Behind The Music documentary. Ellefson was quoted saying "It was great, the heroin helped you come off the cocaine. Now I knew why everyone did speedballs at that time, but not that everyone DIED from it... I forgot that part...". Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis admitted to doing speedballs in his autobiography Scar Tissue. David Crosby says in his autobiography "Long Time Gone" that in his later years of hard drug addiction, he would freebase-smoke cocaine and snort or smoke heroin. Miles Davis stated in his autobiography on page 335, that during a period of heavy cocaine use, he occasionally injected speedballs as well.

But we are not talking about this product. We are talking about beatnik speedballs. A beatnik speedball is a cup of coffee and a margarita. Hardened users will sometimes substitute a double espresso. In any case, five of them leaves you feeling like nobody's business, whatever that means, although your lips, I would imagine, do get cracked from all that salt.

And just for the record, I was shaking like I'd had five of the damned things. It's a simile. In truth I was stone sober. But I was painting up a storm, and as of last night, I had my next Wall Street Macher almost completely done.

This would be him:



Or her. I'm giving away nothing, but the finished painting will be on Wall Street tomorrow.

By the way, for those interested, this is what many of my paintings look like before I start throwing pigment. The outline (painted with a brush) and the remains of the pencil sketch.

Also for those interested, here's an older painting in which I just decided to stop and leave it as it was. It was part of a series I was doing about the fine line between religious and sexual ecstasy, and it entitled "St. Joan (Receives the Spirit of the Lord)".



Knowing when to stop is always important. Note to Mr. Hiaasen.

I am awfully fond of St. Joan even though some people find it troubling. And it is whopping big--almost 7 feet tall and perhaps five and a half feet wide. She fills a room.