(2024) Oil on canvas. 36"x36"
 
This painting depicts an artist (myself) sitting in a chair reading a book with a landscape in the distance. The book is "Contemporary Painting" by Suzanne Hudson from 2021. The patterned fabric opening to reveal a distant landscape is a reference to many older portrait paintings that had a landscape in the background or fabric parting to reveal something. The landscape in this painting is an overlook area at Sam's Point in the Catskills.
 
The goal of this piece was to continue to explore painting about painting. It's secondary title is "The Fool" because I often feel stupid for pursuing the arts, painting especially. It seems no one values painting as much as I do, I think too deeply about it, spend time reading about painting, make pieces for intellectual pursuit and not market appeal, and I can't find anywhere to even show what I make. And yet I continue to foolishly make more paintings.