Not sure I really want to be a starving artist after all....

As much as my day job interferes with my studio work, it's a bit unnerving when the safety net it provides begins to sprout holes, which is what happened last week. A round of layoffs at the newspaper where I work has affected me, which may or may not result in my joining the growing ranks of those without a weekly paycheck. In theory, (and fantasy) it would give me more time to paint, but like most painters I can't make a living from my brush, and don't want to lose the health insurance my job provides. So I'd have to dust off my resume and hit the streets, which would be even more of a distraction than the 9-5 grind, so I'm hoping to keep the job in one form or another, unfortunately.

But once I leave the ergonomic office chair, close my studio door and sit for a bit in my old painting chair it becomes of little importance. My battles are in here.

I toured the RISD Museum's new wing on Sunday with some out of town guests. It sure is a change from the old wing—for one thing, it has a escalator! That kind of blew my mind. The Chihuly show was ok, but I thought it was rather thin, despite the dramatically lit and reflected installations. I'll have to go back and take another look when it's not so crowded. I'd like to take another look at the David Macaulay show too. I have to really respect the work that went on behind the pages of his books. Contrast his thoughtful sketches with the "art fair" type paintings that Chihuly whips out for his assistants as studies for his glass designs.

44 days till the hanging.