birth and death Cy Twombly passed away today

multiple target 227[for cy twombly][click here for full size image] - mixed media on canvas and wood panels

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Artist Cy Twombly passed away today in Rome. Not since the death of Joseph Beuys in 1986, have I felt so saddened. When I first started to awaken to art back in high school, and begun looking up artists in the library, Cy was one of the first to really shake me. I was feeling a revolution internally, rebelling as much as one could in a suburban neighborhood in Auburn Washington. I looked to music and art to be a guide for where I both wanted to go, and where I went. Twombly's work was musical to me, it had rhythm, poetry, revolution and curiosity all swirled into one. He led me down a path, painting wise, that has been rich and rewarding, and hard to explain at times. As art should can and should be every now and then. He was a constant taking off point, the lift to catch sail, to loosen one's grip, in order to get a better hold. I finished this painting above today, and then went to check on the news of the day. When I heard the news, it seemed only fitting to dedicate this work to him. I'll miss you Cy, and will cherish the work that you left behind...

Jerry Saltz's wonderful Obit today in the NY mag...

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