Altered State (2020) Painting by William Birdwell

I was the little kid peeking through the window of the local art gallery. The owner caught me peeking and invited me in. Asking me which pieces I liked while explaining some of the finer points of the art before us. He told me to take my time and look at all the art while he went outside and smoked. It was a large show for a small town with artist from 3 or 4 states coming into town to show their art. The artists had been setting up in the gallery till late the previous night/morning, so I had the whole gallery to myself while Mr. Grumman smoked his cigarette. I was spellbound. I was particularly taken with a nude painting. I had never realized how truly beautiful women were until that day. Suddenly embarrassed I turned around to see Mr. Grumman behind me with a smile on his face. He asked me if I would like to come back the next morning to help clean up and earn a couple of dollars. I did. That's when I first realized I wanted to be an artist.
The gallery would turn into a library/antique shop until the next show and eventually went out of business, as many do, but it remains one of my fondest memories.

• Nationality: UNITED STATES
• Date of birth : unknown date
• Artistic domains:
• Groups: Contemporary American Artists