City Abstract 6X8 Acrylic on Canvas $90

A lot of folks around our village can’t seem to fathom enjoyment while going to the city. Although I get that, I believe they’d be richer for a visit now and again.

As an eternal outsider looking in, it seems one could make life as terrifying or exhilarating as you wish. Exposing yourself to all manner of infections will either kill you or make you resilient and I’d bet on the latter.

I once lived in the City for several years in my 20s, held a job, and enjoyed being out and about in the close-knit art community. The people, in general, were all blank canvases to me and likely to themselves. It was an active time in my life, passing in a blur.

A moment that pops into my mind often, is that of a woman I watched jump off of the high-rise apartment complex I lived in. I heard a crash and moved into the hallway of the fourth floor to see what I might find out the large corner window.

It was then she saw me, standing in the window staring back at her. All was in slow motion at that moment. She was upside down and surrounded by dollar bills, fluttering like butterflies around her body as if guiding her to the next phase of consciousness.

She hit the ground and I was likely the last person she saw before she left, but would not be the last. There were, of course, many hands moving to aid, but to no use. That was that.

This was the beginning of my interest in trying to help, anyone I could.

So yes, the city can be ugly, but there are beautiful moments, even in the most heinous of situations. And a secret I could share is that living in this little village is no different.