Speed of Life

by  Gregg Chadwick I wrote this when I heard of Lou Reed's death in 2013. Three years on the thoughts still stand. Reposted as an elegy to an inspirational figure for so many.  " Lou Reed gave us the street and the landscape - and we peopled it."  - David Bowie in the documentary " Rock 'n' Roll Heart - Lou Reed " Well hey, man, that's just a lie It's a lie she tells her friends 'Cause the real song, the real song Where she won't even admit to herself The  beatin ' in her heart It's a song lots of people know It's a painful song A little sad truth But life's full of sad songs Penny for a wish But  wishin ' won't make you a soldier. With a pretty kiss for a pretty face Can't have  it's  way Y'know tramps like us, we were born to pay  -  From the beginning of the " Slipaway " section of Lou Reed's song  Street Hassle .      Uncredited   spoken vocals by Bruce Springsteen...

Tonight! My painting “Blush Response" will be available at Art & Home:  An Evening with Los Angeles Family Housing to benefit LA Family Housing. Wednesday, October 26, 2016  7-9pm      Room & Board  Helm's Bakery Building  8707 Washington Boulevard, CA 90232 Gregg Chadwick Blush Response 10"x10" oil on canvas 2015 In collaboration with Angeleno magazine, please join us for a special art show at Room & Board in Culver City.  Over 100 local, contemporary artists have donated artworks in support of LA Family Housing. (LAFH).  Dedicated to helping families and individuals transition out of homelessness and poverty, LAFH offers a range of housing opportunities enriched with supportive services. Artwork on display in the showroom will be available for purchase for $400!  If you have always wanted a Chadwick, this is a wonderful opportunity to get an artwork at an afforda...

by Gregg Chadwick I have been carrying my copy of Jana Prikryl's engaging book of poems " The After Party " with me for a few months now. Before I go out the door, I almost always slip the collection into an open slot in my bag. On recent travels from Los Angeles, to San Francisco, to Carmel, to Milwaukee, to Memphis - Prikryl's book has been with me. Each destination flavors my reading of her poems, almost like memory itself. And in a sense that is what Prikryl does in "The After Party". In her book we travel with her through a series of moments, or times, or places, or memories. Unlike many books where the narrator disappears into the text only to reappear as an overbearing Disney-ride like explicator, in " The After Party " Prikryl joins us on a journey through time. Memory can be like an artist's drawing full of smudged marks, erasures, and fantasies. Prikryl acknowledges this in her poems and lets us glide through her veils of ti...

John Lewis  ‏ @ repjohnlewis     1h 1 hour ago It doesn't matter if we are straight or gay or transgender--we are one people, we are one family, we are one love. #NationalComingOutDay From HRC: Every year on National Coming Out Day, we celebrate coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) or as an ally. Today, Oct. 11, 2016, we mark the 28th anniversary of National Coming Out Day. 28 years ago, on the anniversary of the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, we first observed National Coming Out Day as a reminder that one of our most basic tools is the power of coming out. One out of every two Americans has someone close to them who is gay or lesbian. For transgender people, that number is only one in 10. Coming out - whether it is as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or allied - STILL MATTERS. When people know someone who is LGBTQ, they are far more likely to support equality under the law. Beyond th...

Gregg Chadwick Stealing Home (Jackie Robinson) 8"x8" oil on canvas 2016 In honor of the Major League Baseball playoffs and my Grandpa Joseph Chadwick - my new small painting "Stealing Home (Jackie Robinson)"  Jackie Robinson-UCLA grad, civil rights warrior, Brooklyn Dodger, all around hero. Painting will be on view this weekend at the Santa Monica Art Studios 12th Anniversary   At the Santa Monica Art Studios, I am part of a community of artists - driven to create, share knowledge and experience, and help the community at large.  This weekend, I would be honored to have you join the long list of visitors to my studio #15 at the Santa Monica Art Studios. Saturday, October 8 from 6-9pm  Sunday, October 9 from 1-5pm 3026 Airport Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90405 #art #newyork #Dodgers #painting #baseball

Do yourself a favor & watch this beautiful video from #Storycorps on how libraries save lives. http:// bit.ly/2dyAkrJ   #LibrariesTransform

by Gregg Chadwick Incredible & riveting political statement as @u2 's Bono creates a pseudo conversation with @realDonaldTrump in a surprise set at Dreamfest! pic.twitter.com/Aeq5tXXBGP — Marc Benioff (@Benioff) October 6, 2016 Bono and I have a bit of a history with Bullet the Blue Sk y and its deeply held meaning in terms of a vision of America. I wrote Bono in 2008, the night before his planned meeting with then VP candidate Sarah Palin. (Full letter here-  Bullet the Blue Sk y )  I asked Bono then to "please remember what America means. Please remember your inspiration to write and perform " Bullet the Blue Sky" as you watched the Reagan administration's support of Salvadoran death squads and Nicaraguan contras. America is not torture, Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo. America is the promise of hope and liberty."  Last night in San Francisco, Bono spoke truth to a candidate in love with power and himself.  They posted a video of the song wit...

Please Join Me This Upcoming Weekend as I Open My Studio at the 12th Anniversary of the Santa Monica Art Studios.  In my twelve years at the Santa Monica Art Studios my artwork has been included in more than 70 exhibitions worldwide,  including numerous community oriented benefit auctions. I often open up my studio to visiting students, community members, scholars, and international guests.  These visitors to my studio have included a bus load of Japanese Nursing Students from Tokyo,  a visiting group of academics from the University of Verona in Italy,  professional art restorers from the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam and the Getty Museum,  an art meditation session with art writer Peter Clothier,  as well as numerous visits by Santa Monica students interested in the arts and culture.  Last year a group of around twenty young adults impacted by AIDS gathered in my studio and other studios for ...