"B. R. O. OK. L.Y.N. Come again." - Jay Z
"Brooklyn Bridge" Graphite Pencil on Paper 9" x 12"
A number of years ago I lost my way. I became frustrated and turned my back on art. I sought stability in the form of a paycheck and weekends off. I thought this would solve everything.
I was determined to drown out the voice in my head and set my heart at ease with success in the nine to five world. Not a day in those five years passed without me thinking about what could have been.
And so I climbed. My life was full of expense accounts, slick suits, alcohol, narcotics, antidepressants, and sleeping pills. Every conversation it seemed was an ego fueled argument. I was miserable with my then Manhattan life and longed for the simplicity of my days in Brooklyn working a neighborhood pub at night and painting during the day. I knew I needed a change and sheepishly started to make art clandestinely.
The story of the Brooklyn Bridge burned uncontrollably inside me. I have always been moved by it being a canon example of never giving up. The project went over budget, over schedule and Washington Roebling was stricken with the bends as a result of joining immigrant laborers in an attempt to complete it. He never gave up and passed the project to his wife who saw the bridge completed in 1883. She was the critical link between Roebling and the on-site engineers. She would see it to its fruition and was the first to cross it, May24, 1883.
It is a story of faith. It is a story of love. It is a testament that the greatest rewards come to those who are tenacious and persistent. The bridge was built ten times stronger than the requirements of its day and it's simple Gothic design has inspired countless aspects of humanity for over 125 years. It was built with immigrant hands wanting to leave a mark on a land they desperately wanted to make their new home and that means everything to me.
I returned to the easel with greater frequency until it became a daily routine. I swore to never live another day without utmost devotion to art. I began to feel once again.
This work will be displayed as part of Saatchi Art's collection at the Brooklyn Design Expo this coming weekend.