Resignation

Can an artist draw one’s self into the picture? This is what Bob Blackburn did everyday of his life. An undercurrent of financial stress felt familiar to me during the time I was working at the printshop. This came from keeping the printshop running, paying the rent and having the shop available to all artist no matter their monetary means . Looking back I have a slightly better understanding of what it must have been like for Bob living with an undercurrent of racism as a black artist. To print the picture how he saw it.  I have a strong memory of going to an art fair with Bob at the Puck building. The work he editioned and printed for blue chip artists was hanging on the wall and selling for a lot of money. While people chatted with Bob I just listened and  thought why isn’t his work in this fair? I now understand why his work wasn’t represented at this art fair.