When I lived in Chicago back in the early 1990s, I had a friend who owned an art gallery, David Leonardis.
One of the top people Dave represented was the hillbilly folk artist, The Reverend Howard Finster, best known for for his Talking Heads’ “Little Creatures” album cover.
Dave would always be telling me stories about this lovely person- this rather eccentric, crazy-ass artist, living out in the boondocks, who’d he go visit once or twice a year.
“This rather eccentric, crazy-ass artist, living out in the boondocks,” I remember telling myself, “I want that guy’s job one day.”
I admit it was a weird thing for a twenty-something advertising guy to be aspiring to, but I genuinely felt that this was where I wanted to be headed in the long run. I never really told anybody about it (until now, even). I just kept it to myself: a strange dream which back then, I firmly believed would never happen.
Fast forward over 15 years later, and I’m starting to feel that I was wrong, that the dream is finally starting to come true. I’ve been in Alpine, Texas for just under two years, and I think I’m here to stay. My big-city days are well and truly over. Every day, I can feel myself becoming more and more like Howard.
I believe the next phase of my life has begun. I believe after many decades of being distracted by social convention, I’m finally becoming the person I was born to be.
[Backstory: About Hugh. E-mail Hugh. Twitter. Newsletter. Book.. Interview One. Interview Two. EVIL PLANS. Limited Edition Prints. Private Commissions. Cube Grenades.]
