Pigment of Your Imagination
I got this in the mail on Saturday.
Trust me, I'm not the sort of guy that gets invitations to art galleries. (Certainly not to
ones that I have never been to before.) I called the Mobius Gallery in Atlanta and spoke with
the owner, Adrian Steiner, to find out why she had sent the invite.
"The artist asked for me to send that," Adrian explained. "He told me you were a friend. You
may have known him by his previous moniker of Sam Sherman."
Sam Sherman... that name sounded familiar but I couldn't place it. (And had she really used
the word, 'moniker'?) I decided to play along and started using my social engineering skills
to the max.
Adrian Steiner, owner of the Mobius Art Gallery, Atlanta, Georgia
"Oh yes, Sammy!" I gushed. "I was just talking last month about how interesting his work was
with my European broker. I told him he simply has to come over to the Villa and see some of
the pieces I have. I didn't realize that Ray had moved to Atlanta and was creating again. I'm
very interested in seeing his works and it's perfect timing since I'm thinking of redecorating
the house in Los Angeles. Would it be possible to talk to Ray before the showing?"
Adrian must have thought she had died and gone to art gallery dealer heaven cause by the time
I got off the phone with her she had given me Ray's address and any other bit of information
that might assure her of getting me to part with thousands of dollars. I could just imagine
her marking the prices up as soon as I got off the phone.
But just who was Sam Sherman? Lan was the first one to remember that he had been a former
Freakylink. Remember? Way back in June of 1999
I
traveled to Gulf Breeze, Florida to interview Sam who claimed that an alien abduction
had left him with intense migraines caused by a metal implant in his brain. Funny thing was
that Sam wasn't kidding. There was something in Sam's head, a piece of metal lodged so deep
into a lobe that it couldn't be removed. Doctor Bently Suffolk believed that the metal was
causing the hallucinations of alien abduction and subsequent migraines. Sam was sure that
aliens had put the metal into his brain for reasons only they knew.
When I traveled to LA in July,
I stopped by Sam's home.
I was surprised to find the place looking deserted. It didn't look like Sam had moved.
Looking through a window I spied furniture still inside and letters were spilling out of his
mailbox and onto the porch. I got caught up in other events in the weeks to follow and, to
be honest, I sorta forgot about Sam and his mysterious disappearance. But the idea of him
becoming an artist is ludicrous. Other than claiming aliens had messed with his mind, Sam
was a pretty normal guy. He worked as a ticket agent for a cruise line and was about as
middle class as you can get. There certainly wasn't any desire to be creative present
when I last saw him. Alien brain implant, maybe but an artistic bone in his body? No,
definitely not.
Well after visiting Sam (Or Ray as he calls himself now) I've learned that reality ain't
what it used to be. Check out the quicktime….
So I know what you're saying... what the hell was that? Well here's my theories:
1. Sam's medical condition that caused his migraines has worsened and opened up new
areas of his brain.
2. There actually is an alien implant and it's making Sam get all "wiggy" (and no, that's
not the technical term)
3. Sam just decided to have his mid-life crisis early.
But does the reason really matter? Sam-Ray seems to be enjoying his new found calling.
Far be it for me to try and ruin that by over analyzing the whys and whens. If he wants to
be an artist, I'm all for it. It seems a much better life than selling tour packages to
the Bahamas. His work isn't half-bad and I'm not the only one to think so. When Jason and
I went to the Mobius Art Gallery (I played it dumb and claimed to be a web reporter,
not the rich and affluent Derek Barnes) it was evident that Ray was the featured artist.
Both paintings on display had been sold and Adrian was sure that the exhibition was going
to be completely sold before the night was over. They say that fame is the new currency
in America. If so then Ray seems destined to be a wealthy man.
sources
Phone interview with Adrian Steiner, October 7th, 2000
Personal Interview with Sam Sherman and Adrian Steiner, October 9th, 2000
Photos and quicktime by Derek Barnes
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