REMEMBERING OLD FRIENDSHIPS

Dear Mario:
Here's a picture that should bring back some memories, Bernie Schantz and Maurice Meyer, but of them and I go back much further than the friendship between us. Maurice was one of the first artists whom I represented, U.S. artists, that is, just after Clair Weidenaar, also a marine artist began to work exclusively with a gallery in Santa Fe, NM. They thought that they could handle his entire output, but their sales in a two year period were about 20% of what we had been selling on an annual basis. Clair later on wanted me to be his agent again, but by that time I had worked up a good business with Maurice's paintings and did not need another marine artist.

Bernie? I sold him the works of my artists when had owned a large gallery on LaCienega Blvd., and then later helped in begin his sales career in Hawaii, after his divorce left him at odds ends. He needed my help and called me from Hawaii twice, because he knew that I would not let an old friend down. Tomorrow? The clock is ticking away. For tomorrow's not certain for anyone. Yes, we lost him. I called and spoke with him at the hospital not too many days before he died. He had one more funny story to tell me, he said, but I simply could not make it up there to see him in time.

When Bernie represented Julian Ritter during that artist's voyage around the world, it was due to my prompting Julian to do so. There's another long story there, but I am not going into it now.

Here's another picture from the past, one of the many Annual parties to celebrate another year in the history of Simic Galleries, Miguel Parades getting his Certificate of Appreciation. He's another artist whom I brought to Simic Galleries, and one who should have had more promotion. However, he too had his problems there. He's but one of many. Now let's return to Tomorrow:

Tomorrow's sunrise you may never see,
So Today is the day that cannot wait;
This is the day to live vigorously,
Tomorrow may be...just one day too lager.

Ah yes, here's another artist, a wonderful guy, a man of his word, Gary Jenkins. I worked hard to get him for Simic Galleries, didn't I? A lot of good it did me, or him. Both Gary and his wife, Kathwren, are excellent artists and worthy of being represented by a good gallery, but we all were disappointed with the arrangement at Simic.

Somewhere I have a pictures of Bonnie and Bill Cole, which should also be a part of this narrative, but they'll have to come later. Each page, past and present, in this Blog, will change daily, so you'll have to keep reading back and forth to get the whole story. It's just that memories keep coming back and I have to add things in here and there.

It's a gorgeous California day out, so I'll try to do a little bit of exercising and while riding my bike (stationary) let my mind drift back a few years, so I can add to this letter.

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