I’ve loved living and working near the Delaware River over the past ten years - a dream since art student days ... Located midway between Philadelphia and the Pocono Mountains; close to the conveniences of urban areas and sufficiently rural to witness the rhythms of nature in a relatively well preserved environment ... [meaning; there's nothing man has built that nature can't re-claim quickly] ...
Up to this point in my career, I’ve been blessed with wonderful studio spaces; partly because of my familiarity with the area where I was raised and educated, access to opportunities and resources, and a reputation of dedication to art as a way of life ... [the other part has to do with the fact that I’m a good gamble in the business of mutual exploitation - my knowledge, experience, and work provides a relationship with dividends]
If there is one thing I’ve learned from living in Nature over the years; it is, that everything has a cycle while everything is in the process of achieving its essential substance ...
I sense my tenure here is complete - that I’ve learned what I needed to learn to carry me for the duration; in the same way a student matriculates through universities to solidify knowledge prior to making their contributions to other audiences. Ones’ alma mater remains their intellectual foundation and nourishment. Nature and solitude have been wonderful tutors.
It is possible the process could have been accelerated by different environments, but I doubt that I would have had the opportunity to witness the experiences as fully as my sensibilities require - my tendency is orbital observation and participation; savoring the depths and variety of experience - perhaps for too long, but probably just long enough ...
The Delaware River that flows near the studio is the largest natural body of water - a few hours north of the Delaware and Chesapeake Bays and west of the Atlantic Ocean; and like other rivers in the region, the result of glaciers cutting their way through an ancient geography - as it continues to erode through obstacles in its on-going evolution ...
I’ve found solace, dreams, and inspiration on its banks over the years, and more recently metaphor with my own flow, desires, and possible destiny ...
I’m growing weary of the density, entanglements, and obstacles of the region during this phase of my life - a region thick with traditions and dogma, seasons and schedules, and a resistance to change that only accompanies brief history and success. It is the nature of the area and all the intrinsic elements that sustain it - not a criticism of the invaluable lessons they teach ...
What I can object to is the attitude and lifestyles of some, who like myself, migrated to the suburbs; those who violate the covenant of ‘quiet enjoyment’ one expects from living amid nature. A species who escapes to the country for a free-for-all existence without regard for the dreams of others or the reverence nature deserves. Those are the things only attrition can change ...
Perhaps it’s because I recently turned fifty-eight, or that I’ve had a severe bout with Lymes Disease, or realizing that sustaining a studio of this magnitude may only provide diminishing returns, or recognizing the political and economic climate’s urgent need for re-adjustment ... Either way, my future is shorter than my past and there’s less time to avoid the callings of my soul, work, and inquiry; or to accept the unacceptable ...
At this point, I realize I’m a big, characteristic Pisces requiring less of the same and more difference in a pond with too many limitations ...
I long for unobstructed, fluid vistas where possibilities flow without restriction - these are the dreams and prayers cutting my path to the future - as the river flows to the sea ...
