Hello.  It was another day at the cafe today.  Here is what I did...

     This is Table #1, the main table that I paint on.  You can see my palette, brushes, coffee cup, and several examples of napkin art.

     Here is Table #2, at the beginning of a typical cafe session, which can last three or four hours.

     Here are both tables together, during the middle of one of my painting sessions.

     Here is Table #1 again, near the end of my session.

     People pretty much ignore me, and what I am doing in the cafe.  This is not true at the bar, where drunk people are often a little more open.

     I do get bitter, pinched looks from old ladies, who seem to judge and scour over what I am doing.

     I can tell that most people in the cafe don't even have five bucks to make a purchase of one of my pieces, if they were inclined to do so in the first place.

     I don't know why I bother with these people.  It is just that this particular cafe is fantastic to paint in because it is kind of run down, and it has a 'northern light' window, which is the best for painters.

     It is almost as if people fight and strain with themselves to Not look at my art, as if I was Medusa, and my art was poison.

     I have done artwork in this cafe for three years, and 99% of the customers couldn't give a s*** about what I was doing.

     Yet, in this very same cafe, I had a $60 sale a couple of weeks ago.

     I don't know why the people there are so uptight about me and my art.  I don't know what they expect from an artist, or if they even think that I am one.  Or maybe they think I suck.  Or maybe they are preoccupied with themselves.  Or maybe they aren't ready for my art.  Or maybe they are all a bunch of @ssholes, I'm not sure.  Or maybe they think they are better than me as a person, and that my efforts are beneath their notice.  Truck them.

     Yet, I will continue painting in this cafe, and I don't care how long it takes to win them over.  They will get used to me, or live in denial that somebody is doing something pretty cool in a public cafe.
 
 

     It was yet another day at the cafe today; but, it was kind of chilly.
     I did my napkin art thing today again.
     Since I know that a sale can come on any day, at any moment, I always bring my napkin art without fail.  I never know what will happen.  Also, if they don't buy today, maybe they will on another day.  I never know.  I realized that people may be seeing my work for the first time, so it takes people a while to warm up to it.  This is just how people are.
     Sometimes, people will look at my art when I am not sitting there, because people don't know how to introduce themselves anymore, like in the old days.  Oh well.  It's not my problem.

     Meanwhile, the musician next door is playing a Pearl Jam song, and it is really annoying.  I just started writing.
     I don't know why he has to play so loud when he is the only one in there.  Asshole.
     Musicians don't buy my art, because they can't afford it.  A guitarist guy was looking at my art last night, and he was too cool to even say 'hello'.  I would have said something, but I didn't want to deal with his self-important stature as an up-and-coming musician, who will probably never 'make it'.  In the meantime, I guess he will just bang chicks, and tell his friends about it.
     I have other things on my mind these days.

     Here is my napkin art of Moe.  He is my favorite.

     Here is some dopey-looking, happy bird that I painted.

     Here is some more napkin art.

     An older German couple laughed when they saw this one.  It's not easy to make Germans laugh, you know.


 
    

     It was another day today.
     Complete and utter rejection about my napkin art.
     One guy commented early on, but he certainly didn't have it in mind to cough up a lousy five bucks for a piece of original art.  Bastard.  Then he went into some long-winded, old man story, and I don't get paid to be anybody's therapist.
     People fight not to look at my art.  They look at the flyers on the wall, and they text on their portable devices.  They do everything they can to avoid me.
     They are afraid they might like it, and they don't want to deal with anything outside of themselves.
     Mostly, though, people at Muddy Waters cafe don't have any money to spend.  They are dirt poor. 
     So, what I do is just use the time to prepare for the night ahead.
     Also, I've been bringing in a book of 'Great Paintings', and I've been reading it, and using the images as source material.  I enjoy art history, and I like to incorporate paintings from the past into my work.
     The cafe is not a place where you will hear competent English being spoken.  I gave up on that aspect long ago.
     Despite everything I've just written, it is my favorite coffee shop in the city.  They have good coffee, and they let me paint there.  The women are attractive, and they have atrocious art on the wall.  Just my kind of place.
     But yeah, I can only handle about two or three hours of rejection from people about my art, and about me, and then I have to leave.  I'm not going to sit there and paint and be ignored as if I don't exist.  I can do that in my studio.

     It was the same old thing again today.
     I made, right in front of people, a bunch of napkin art.  They just pretend that I am not there.
     It is sad.
     I feel fine for me, but I am concerned for them.
     They can't step outside of themselves for one moment to say a nice word to me.
     It's not my problem.
     Those people don't have any money to spend, anyhow.
     But you know what?  A compliment is free.

     Anyway, then there was the incident where I was outside smoking, and a cop car pulled up to the curb.  They asked me for my I.D. on the basis that they were looking for somebody who looked like me.  What a story.  I think it could be true, but I also think they were killing two birds with one stone.  They could say they were doing their work looking for the bad guy, and checking up on me at the same time.  The cops were nice enough, and kept things at a conversational level.  I know better than to talk to much.  Cops have tricked me before.  They have only one interest.  Themselves.  That is about it.

     I had two cups of coffee.

     Some woman who was a friend of the counter lady said she was having trouble with her back.  The poor woman doesn't know how to stretch it out.

     In any case, I had fun today.  I painted, smoked, did my thing, and had a good time.  I still felt a slight buzz from last night, haha.

     I will say that I got home last night, and did some scathing work about three people for 'The Drunken News'.
     I have the greatest excuse for anything I write,....."I was drunk, I couldn't help myself."

     Anyhow, it is time to play some 'Lord of The Rings Online'.  I finally learned how to craft some items yesterday, and I had a good time.  I am going to do some more of that.

     Not much else to talk about unless I want to get all bitter.

     I did see a woman with a nice ass, so that cheered me up.  It was heart-shaped, which is my favorite.

     It was a good day today, though, I kind of had a slight headache from the brown sugar in my coffee.  Then, there is the smoker's cough I have.
     Anyway, my new friend was there again.  She is a swell gal.
     I also ran into a poet friend of mine, who was there in the cafe with his wife for a while.

     Here is my napkin art set-up for the day.
     The cafe is ideal to paint in.  First of all, the window faces the north which is the only light in which true colors are visible to artists.  Second, the cafe is kind of run down, and has a communal feeling, so it is great for me to go in there and do my thing.

     Caffeinated people don't buy art.  That is true.  They are too self-absorbed at the cafe.  Everybody ignores me and my art, which sucks, but that is just how it is.
     In contrast, I get a lot of attention at the bar at night.  People throw money at me, and buy me drinks.  Good times, eh?

     Even if I only sold one napkin art per day at the cafe, that would pay for two coffees.  Someday, I hope to develop my day business.

     The people who run the cafe aren't too sensitive to artists.  They make me pay like anybody else, even though I've done work for them.  Also, they scheduled me for two art shows, and then they forgot, and had somebody else put art their art up, so, I'm not really inclined to formally show my art there.  No one there has any money anyhow.  It's in The Mission, for Christ's sake.  Nobody has money there.

     At least all of the rejection during the day balances the attention I get at night at the bar, so that is something.

     I still haven't gotten laid as a result of Napkin Art, but I'm working on it.  For right now, I'm happy to take women's money.  That is all I need from them right now.

     This guy named King fell asleep.  I wish he would go sleep in the park.  It is depressing to see him sleeping in the cafe when I am trying to work.  It is a let-down.


     Otherwise, I did my napkin art, and it was a rollicking good time.  As usual, I got some strange looks from people who didn't quite know what to say about artwork done on napkins.

     Then there was this guy concerned with posting flyers.  He seemed a little off to me, and wrote the words 'hero' and 'corageous'....his spelling...on a political poster where another person had written in marker, 'sell-out'.
     I watched this guy for twenty minutes, as he moved some posters off to the side so he could post his.
     The one that caught my eye was he posted one about 'body awareness' with a photo of twenty naked people.
     So, this guy is into public nudity, and politics.  Okay.
     He's the kind of 'off' guy who could be mentioned in a Stephen King novel.
     Then I saw him drive away in his car, and it was plastered with bumper stickers.
     He did have one sticker I liked, and it read, "Put Bush in Prison'.  Sounds good to me.


     One more thing...I painted in Easter colors even though it is Halloween season.  It is a result of painting with this woman from last night.  She was into pinks and pastel colors.

     It was another day at the cafe today.
     'Black Comic Book Guy' was there today.  He is having problem with his service for his portable device.
     I could barely care about his problems.
     He seems to have many, one of them being that he isn't too bright. 
     I feel bad for this, but it isn't my problem.
     Yesterday, he did an annoying thing of bringing into the cafe an entire bag of fried chicken, and was eating that after he ate his Top Ramen.
     The other day he slept in the cafe for three hours.
     He depresses me.

     Then there is 'Tattoo Face'.  I saw him across the street.  Luckily, he didn't come into the cafe today.  He sucks the life out of the room in about twenty seconds.
     To hear him talk in his nasal tone upsets me.
     I just want to say, "Bro, can you talk normal?!  Jesus!"

     Nadjat was her charming self again, but she isn't into art much.  Pity.

     Meanwhile, I did my thing, and had a good painting session.  However, it was more or less the same.  Everybody ignored me.
     At best, all they did was look at my art in passing.
     They know I'm there, especially the regulars, but they say nothing.  Plus, I don't even think they have five bucks to cough up for my art.

     The day was pleasant, with a cool breeze, and I enjoyed looking at the buildings, the sky, and a bird in flight while I smoked a cigarette.

     I couldn't help but notice the cops as they drove by, though.  They are ever-present.  The Police Station is two blocks away, but they always survey me as if I am doing something wrong.
     A police man has never bought my art, or shown any interest.  Why should I care about them?  They can certainly afford it, making $90 an hour.

     Anyway, my morning work for the day is done, and I am ready for more rejection at night.  It is a lot of fun, let me tell you.

     Now it is time for a journey to Middle Earth, and to cook up some lunch.

     To anybody who reads my work, 'Thanks for hanging in there with me.'