Jerry Hingle's First Week on the Road

Readers!
It's been a week since I've been on the road and I can't tell you enough how much I needed this. Peanut and I are having a blast, and we miss Oz very much. Hopefully she is holding down the fort and not terrorizing my sister too much!

Oh my what a beauty it's been driving through the southwest. I've been doing a ton of sketches: sunsets, adobe houses, old ladies stitching baskets together--the people watching scene here is perfect. I eat whenever I want, sleep whenever I want, and I can literally sketch anything I want. All I have to do is stop on the side of the road and pull out some paper. The food here is delicious, if you go to the right spots. Sure I had some sorry burritos, but the New Mexican cuisine is amazing. It's much different from what we think of as Mexican food. They love their green hot sauce, and they do it splendidly.

The people here are great too. Having such an adorable dog like Peanut makes it easy for people to approach me and ask if they can pet him. Of course they can, and he makes for great conversation. But while these people are most interested in Peanut, I am most curious about their lives. What do they do, how long have they lived in New Mexico, do they like living in the desert? Some say yes, some say no, but most are content. My favorite part of being an artist is people watching and learning about them. I believe a true artist can never detach himself from society--art is in society. And it's been a pleasure learning about art in this way.

But enough about that! Jerry Hingle doesn't wanna get too deep on ya'll! I'll update you again on my adventures when I get to Arizona.

-- Jerry Hingle