Eric Telfort: Keeping the Brushes Wet, part 5

The New York Academy of Art is pleased to present the next installment in this new series on our blog. Eric Telfort, a 2009 graduate of the New York Academy of Art, blogs with us about “keeping the brushes wet.” Follow us as Eric writes about what it’s like to be a working artist.



Continued from the last post:

I visited the Academy and gave a talk about my experiences since graduating and that day was one of bitter sweetness. Finally the Academy has engaged an alumnus to come back and give a different tale. The journey-man’s tale that gets lost in the instant success stories that consist of fellows, and Chelsea shows. After the talk I met up with the people I spent 90% of two years of my life with, and it was too emotional. I left a show that evening because I couldn’t quite make sense of all that was going on in my body at the time. How does a kid from the projects, built Ford-tough, become soft jelly in such a trivial reunion? We shared experiences and left each other with smiles, half hugs, and a “see you later” wink. I also saw the artist who I admired the most at the Academy while getting on the train; Panni Malekzadeh. The day ended when I visited my favorite person of the Academy experience, Amber Sena. The day ended perfectly seeing her and Peter Mühlhäußer, another Academy artist, and the life of two married artists surviving after the Academy. The 3 hour drive home made me reflect on what kind of artist am I going to be in the future? Africa validated my being as an artist. New York asked me what kind of artist are you going to be? Married to another artist? Married to someone void of the art world? Single and surviving? Teaching and journeying through or the next great thing since Andy Warhol?

To be continued…

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