America’s image is synonymous with self-empowerment. However, even in the land of opportunity, there are reasonable limits on what a person can do. It is unlikely that a person in his/her 40s can become a competitive gymnast or that someone with an average GPA will get into Stanford University and become a research physicist. The idea that you can be or do anything in the USA is oversold. Most of the late-night self-improvement televangelists are just not being honest. The world is built on the backs of ordinary people, working hard and doing ordinary things. Starting a business and entrepreneurism is something in your blood. A workshop or book will not turn a company man or woman into a business tycoon. And that’s good – someone has to do the heavy lifting and keep the engine of our country operating.

Photography is a field where making a living is quite difficult, particularly if one wants to find work other than weddings or functions. There has been criticism of photography educational programs – very few graduates will ever make a living working in the field. And to sell substantial amounts of work is not a small achievement.

However, it is good to think outside the box and not take the advice of naysayers and self-defeatists to heart. And for the driven, ambitious, talented, and tireless self-promoter, the land of opportunity and streets paved with gold does exist.

I happened across a new gallery of photographer Peter Lik in the heart of SoHo by accident and was drawn in by what appeared to be work of extraordinary craftsmanship and detail.
I was told that Lik is the most awarded landscape photographer in history as well as the most financially successful – Peter has leveraged his skill set quite remarkably. I watched a number of videos on his site and was absolutely astounded to learn that Lik has 13 galleries worldwide and grossed $35 million dollars in 2008, with expectations for greater revenue in 2009.

I am not going to render an opinion here on Sir Shadow’s art, but I will report that it is certainly a phenomenon. After gleaning his website, I see that he is on the road to becoming a one-man industry. As I have written here before, it is always so surprising how one can be unaware of people, places, or things in this city which are virtual institutions, in many cases having had major news coverage, such as articles in the New York Times. A good example of this is Joe Ades, the Gentleman Peeler, a character who has based himself in Union Square.

Sir Shadow, 59 years old, was born Thomas Allen Paxton and grew up in Jamaica, Queens. Paxton, a high school drop out, has never gone to art school. He resides in the last flophouse on the Bowery, with recent plans for conversion.

New York City has the population density, diversity, and tolerance to embrace and nurture any self-promoter who has good schtick and chutzpah. Self-confidence in tandem with a creative mind will permit virtually any endeavor to become a potential success – there are always patrons to be had, even with the most bizarre products or services. This city is a cauldron, always brewing soups with unconventional unique ingredients.

I was amazed at Sir Shadow’s fluidity. He is a master of the flow (part of his tag line) and improvisational poetry, describing his work as The One Line Art & Flowetry of Sir Shadow. He creates highly stylized line drawings in one continuous movement, never lifting the pen. A drawing in his signature silver ink is completed in a minute or two. For $20, he will make a personalized piece for a customer while reciting a poem particular to that individual. See more photos here.

Although I imagine that art snobs may turn their noses at such a commercial endeavor, this man has created his own business and has taken himself from homelessness. He has a website, blog, online shop, a book, a fan club, Youtube videos, and a Myspace site. A master of self-promotion, Sir Shadow is now offering $1 million dollars to anyone who helps him earn $2 million…

If you are open-minded and social, the people of this city can reveal a world to you that is unique and remarkable. The biggest problem is that some of the most fascinating lurk behind the most unassuming faces and things. I never know where a casual conversation will lead. More times than not, a story unfolds that is woven with extraordinary fabric, and I am so very glad that I did not just pass it by.

So this is how I met Isack Kousnsky, an unassuming man cleaning a window in front of what turned out to be his school bus. I stopped to pet his dog, a beauty I wrote about last year in Wolfdog. Isack turns out to be an accomplished photographer/artist with an unusual portfolio of mixed media work (you can see it here). His work is stored in his bus. He has had shows worldwide and is a SoHo resident. He was located in front of 111 Mercer Street, where his studio was formerly located.

We spoke of the difficulties in working in Manhattan with stratospheric rents. His old studio is now $6000 per month for 1/2 of a floor. He will be most likely relocating to Brooklyn, which, although less expensive, has seen its own very high increases in rents.

Isack Kousnsky, born in Haifa, Israel, in the ’50s, moved to New York City in the early ’80s. Based in the East Village as a strong artist, he became part of the avant-garde movement. He exhibited in many galleries, such as Sixth Sense Gallery, Now Gallery, and Hilo Project, focusing in painting, sculpture, and installation. During that time, he curated one of the largest exhibitions of the ’80s art movement, including artists Salvador, Rosilio, Luca, and Keith Haring. In 1989, he returned to Israel and built and produced an alternative art center in Haifa. In 1990, he started to produce his artwork in photography and developed a new technique combining painting and photography. In 1993, he returned to the city.

I have written before about the danger in New York of judging books by their covers. I am one of the worst when it comes to doing this; I am quick to judge, and frequently, I am way off the mark. These articles are my efforts at redemption…

Keith Haring was a NYC-based artist and sculptor, known for his graffiti art and social activism. In the early 1980s, I had the privilege of meeting Keith numerous times while working on a collaborative business venture. People frequently ask what he was like. My experience was that he was always charming and really knew his Pantone colors. You can read more about him here. The work in the photo is a recreation of a piece done by Keith in 1982. From the Deitch Foundation website:

“The Keith Haring Foundation, Goldman Properties and Deitch Projects announce the recreation of Keith Haring’s celebrated Houston Street and Bowery mural. The mural became an instant downtown landmark after Keith painted it in the summer of 1982. The mural was up for only a few months in the summer of 1982 before it was painted out but its image remains imprinted in the memory of many people who were part of the downtown artist community in the early 1980s.
The mural is being repainted by Gotham Scenic using the extensive photographic documentation of the original work. The work will be unveiled on May 4, 2008 the day that would have been Keith Haring’s 50th Birthday.”

In this photo, you can see some of Keith’s signature images, including his atomic symbol, dancing men, and funhouse characters. I find it apropos that the work is done on a slab of concrete, with weeds growing in front and framed on one side with barbed wire chain link fencing. I think Keith would have approved…