meet a boy

this is jamie. now before this whole adventure started, jamie was living in the small town of boone, nc. he moved there back in 1996 to go to college at appalachian state university. in december of 2000, he graduated with a BFA in studio art. he's a bit of the artistic type, you see. he stayed in boone, working odd jobs; while also continuing to make and exhibit art on the side. then he started working for cheap joe's art stuff - a mailorder art supply company. that was about 3.5 years ago. now, the average cheap joe's customer is 65+ years old, retired, and female. jamie was a customer service rep. so everyday, and all day, he talked to these old folks - in addition to the multitude of californian rich-bitch types who think they're "professional artists." think of all the barbaras, nancys, and phyllises in the world. now think of their ages. and how much money they have. and spare time. now think how many have alzheimer's, or other such mental or physical ailments. yes, these are cheap joe's customers - collectively known as the army of "barbaras"(said w/ a thick, raspy new york / florida accent). jamie was sick of the job after 3 days (and was nearly fired for voicing it to cheap joe, himself), much less 3.5 years. but he stuck it out and became a good fit for the company. and it worked out well for him too. he continued to make art on the side, and actually started getting recognized in his small town. he became a member of a studio/art gallery - the Nth (one day someone will update the website); exhibits became more and more frequent - the good life, a bad candidate for living, about face; and he also started showing work outside of north carolina (here's a painting that was shown at the mobile museum of art). CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY ART GALLERY. he always had his art; and the j-o-b was always secondary. he had made good friends and his family was nearby. so, you could say, jamie was content. but after roughly nine years in boone - the day finally came when he knew he had to say goodbye. it was time for our boy to leave...