THE DUDE'S MOST IMPORTANT
ANNOUNCEMENT!
AND THE WAY IT'S GOING, NO ONE
KNOWS...
The other day, very late at night in June, the
ceiling fan in our living room inexplicably... turned on.
No big deal, right? Except that it's been strangely
out of commission for at least a year. I wondered
of my own life, if it was appearing to reflect the
blades of this long, dormant fan.
As we all know, comics have always been my first, second,
and last love, so I couldn't help but wonder what was happening in recent
months to my once seeming unconquerable creative spirit. Comics were
the beloved field which launched me into the world of pros and gave me
my greatest creative highs, from whose challenges I never tired.
When I formed Rude Dude, a company to foster my own
personal projects, it began with the loftiest expectations, so when my energy
level and interest began to ebb, I viewed it with sadness and confusion.
It wasn't until Jaynelle pointed out something that seemed oblivious to me,
that some of the turmoil began to finally expose itself.
As many of you know, I made a decision about a year ago
that the final sojourn in my training for art, would consist of devoting my
Sundays to painting from the following; live models, still lives, and
outdoor paintings. It was something I recall reading from my coveted
Andrew Loomis books on art instruction, which advised, "When all is said and
done, nature is your best teacher". Hey, sounds good to me. Let the
paint fly. Eventually, these life painting sessions began to take over in a completely unexpected way.
MEANSTWHILE...ABOARD THE GOOD SHIP
DUDE...
With costs flying higher than a hot air balloon, the Dude
company came in danger of losing far more than what we were making. I may
be a wild, go-for-broke type sometimes, but not if I'm gonna forfeit my
house and send the kids panhandling. Plus, there's an even more
important purpose to this potential change of careers.
THE BIZ--AS I SEE IT...
Around the mid 90's is when I noticed
the point of no return taking place. Comic books went from the fun,
upbeat, virtuous, and dramatically wondrous periodicals that entertained me for
a lifetime--to be displaced by dark, morose, and let's not forget..."adult"
versions that we currently find. That's my take on things. I wish
it were better.
For the here and now, which is all we have, know that
I will still do my best, to do my duty, to my art spirit
and country, and the rest of the Scout oath I used to know so
well.
Hopefully, the fan won't stay dormant
forever.
I wish you the best for the rest.
Your humble servant,
Steve Rude the Dude
