On the Subject of Bitches
When a man in charge is frank with his opinions, curt with his commands, and just has abrupt no-nonsense way about him, he is seen as a guy who knows how to lead and is respected and well-regarded. He may not always even be the nicest guy - he can be kind of a dick even - yet something about him seems to command respect. Well, people say, it's the fact that he's intelligent, level-headed, and knows what he wants and, though he might even be a bit headstrong, he really does know how to do it and he gets it done. He may not even be the clearest and most honest person in every corner of his life but when it comes to work, he knows what he wants and how to get it and goddammit, people say, you just gotta respect that.
Put a woman in his place, though, and people call her a bitch, if not to her face then behind her back. So hard to work with, they say.
Fire Paintings from September 11, 2001
On September 11, 2001, I was living in Burlington, VT - painting, enjoying the coming autumn, etc. I didn't have a TV (still don't), never listened to the radio (still don't) and the internet was still just a plodding dirt road through the hills - not the information super highway it was to become.
I woke up that morning with a desire to paint big red fiery paintings. I had a couple of large pieces of masonite - a 4' x 4' square and a 4' x 2.5' rectangle - and a few cans of red, yellow, orange, and purple latex paints. So around 8 am, with a cup of coffee, I went at it. The diamond/square painting I called 'Phoenix.' The other was 'Unsquaring the Circle' and felt like a great release of energy.