I'll be seein' you fucker...you did your job...Later Gator!

  "Intergalactic Attack Formation"
    40" x 60"
   Oil on canvas

  I have had to basically give away a years worth of paintings to settle the debt occurred while transporting them around the country this past summer. There was some big offers on them but after the fan fare ended so did the offers.
  I am not in a position to hold out for the big money so I had to evaluate what each painting was actually worth and what I came up with was they are worth a lot more then I actually need to make  to clear up my debt so I can move on with the Latowski build.
  I am down to one painting that hasn't been claimed and it's the toughest one because it means a lot to me.




  Intergalactic Attack Formation
  40" x 60"
  Oil on canvas

 Now this price had a lowest offer of $6500.00. The offer fell through and at the time I was pissed because I know that it has been appraised at closer to$8500.00...so I hung it on the wall of the studio. Every time I look at it it reminded me of all the times the Latowski and I have spent together.
  Now, however, the Latowski is down hard with a bad bottom end. The painting sympolizes my connection to that bike. The bike is now off the road and will be until I can clear up the debt I owe so I can use the money I make off of the prints offered here Prints to put towards parts.
  So at this moment I am offering this painting for the amount I owe to clear up my debt. The current amount that I need is $2485.00 so this is what the painting is worth to me personally...the actual value of the painting is much higher. I know I am taking a hit on this but looking at a painting of the bike or actually riding it is a no brainer.
  I don't consider this an act of desperation. After many hours of deliberation it is just a business maneuver to set me up to have the Latowski on the road for this years riding.
  This will cover my debt, after that I will be able to save the jack to purchase the components needed to make the ol' girl 100%. That is a longer road that I will need to address after my debt is cleared.
  So to me...it's not a financial hit. I have talked to as many investors of my previous paintings and they are in agreement...this painting has to go...unfortunately cheap.
  This is a lot of money to your average guy, but it is also an investment worth at least triple when the market swings back up.
  This is not a photo or a drawing that will last for a while on your shop wall. It is something that will last for 100 years before it needs maintenance...it's not a pretty picture...it's an heirloom..and investment and something that will last longer then you do as are all my oil paintings.
  Yea, it's some major bucks but it is worth your while to seriously consider making an investment on a piece of work that will sell for much more later on if you decide to sell it.
  My bike means the world to me and tough decisions need to be made...this is the toughest. Consider it seriously. Contact me at whitetrashicon@hotmail.com if serious. Any other questions...leave a comment!  "GTP"

The weather (cold and wet) is really jamming me up on this one. Paint consistency is directly affected by the temperature and humidity. Both are working against me on this piece. I'm getting a handle on it though. You be the judge.  "GTP"

Bouncin' around like a fuckin' tweeker listening to the stereo at 68 with a gun strapped to my hip. I consider Sundays a work day. The other tenants around my studio don't really go for Slipknot at full volume...but there ain't no better way to make some progress on a painting!

    

                                              Simple livin' ain't never that simple!

There’s a loud sinister knock comin’ from deep inside the Latowski’s crank cases. It’s not a big surprise, the last rebuild was supposed to last me around 30,000 miles before the mill needed a TOTAL rebuild…I put at least 50,000 on it.  Total rebuild meaning a complete new bottom end including fly wheels.

  The small clatter that I had been hearing from the heart of the motor has become a knock, it’s not a surprise but the bike is now unridable. It doesn’t seem like there is any major damage, not yet anyway…but she has to sit until I can make things happen.

  Money is money and everyone has ways of making it, I’m a painter, I paint that’s my job. The economy has taken a shit and having a painting hanging on your wall is the last thing your average American can spend his money on. They’re expensive and original paintings are a needless expense so business has dropped off a bit. Well actually a lot.

  What am I supposed to do, quit painting and get a job flippin’ burgers at some fast food joint? I don’t think so…I’m a painter and I’m in it for the long haul. The glamour and cash that everyone thinks is associated with being a working artist is a fuckin’ myth, you don’t get rich, you survive. I just try to keep it simple, spend little or no money and muddle through. It works but it’s far from glamorous.

  This little crazy life I have taken upon myself is awesome, I’ll have to admit, but it was never planned. It is just a result of being a painter and living that particular lifestyle. I’m glad it panned out that way but I sure as fuck never knew what I was getting into…but here I am.

  I’m patching my jeans and wearing shirts that are 7 years old. No new shit, no nights out  on the town, no hookers, real good weed or elaborate meals…just the minimum expenditure to get from one month to the next. The lack of the illusion of success is a code that I had to come to live by…but I get to paint everyday and to me that makes it all worthwhile.

  I’ve had to do some wheeling and dealing just to keep myself in paint and rent money so many of the charcoals and painting that I have been doing lately are just private commissioned portraits. They pay the bills but I really don’t have the time or money to do the images that I jotted down in sketches and buried in the deep recesses of my mental ‘to do’ list. Most of these will never see canvas because I have to paint what other people want just to eat and squeak by day to day.

  But what the fuck, the things that people think are the staples of life have become a luxury. Ease of living can easily be replaced with hard work and determination. Taking a shower for instance is not just merely a matter of turning on the shower and standing under the hot water that pours endlessly out of the shower head. To keep expenses down(in this case propane) every facet of getting water into the Hamsteak , heated and then moving the showering process fast enough to get it all your parts clean with 3 ½ gallons of hot water is important. You have to have a plan to get it all done or you will suffer the consequences of icy cold water when you still have soap on your balls. Why bother… because keeping the water hot all day burns propane for no reason. I turn the water on, light the hot water heater until it reaches temperature, shower fast and then shut the whole system down until you need propane again saves a few bucks everyday and every penny counts when a rod knock enters your simple life.

  You have to have a plan of attack when you take a shower in my world, things need to be addressed in order or you will overshoot your window of opportunity for hot water. No time for fuckin’ around or jerkin’ off…showering is serious business. This is just one example of what I have to do to get the cash together for a complete bottom end…there is no other choice.

  Life I’m sure would be easier if I just gave it up, got a real job and just blended in. That however has never been the horizon I have strived to achieve…this is what I have to do to live as a mindless painter and keep on two wheels.

  This micromanaging is something that is necessary in everything I do throughout the day. Food, heat, water, Hamsteak maintenance, entertainment and relaxation, nothing is just there…you work for everything.

   After each day that passes, I lay under a stack of blankets; my eyes start to close at the day’s end and I feel like I hit a home run only to have the next inning start when I wake. It’s a feeling of accomplishment that is almost second to none. With all the work done I feel like I am living like a king.

  This is truly living on the financial edge. You have to play your cards right with every hand and hope that NOTHING fucks up your game. In a perfect world I could live like this forever. A life full of simple food and cheap weed but shit happens as the saying goes.

  If I was content to shut off the rest of my life, maintain my existence as it is living in a 37 year old RV and painting pictures to make ends meet I would be fine. Unfortunately there is a life for me beyond, but still including, this simple life…I need to get back on the road again with my good old Shovel…ignoring medical advice and fuck all. This one simple addition will make my life damn near nirvana.

  There is, as always, a problem though…the sounds of impending destruction emanating from my bottom end. Living close to the cuff is fine but a busted bike is as bad as your dog dying. I’m humpin’ at the easel and maintaining in an alright fashion but as it is right now I won’t have the capital to give the bottom end the proper going through that it needs if I want to do the high ball, thick headed miles that I was told by more than one medical professional never to do again…fuck them!

  I learned my lesson last year commuting my scrawny ass around from event to event with my paintings and bike in a truck. It sucked sweaty balls and I hated every minute of it. From now on if I ain’t ridin’ my bike to and event, gathering or human sacrifice I flat out ain’t fuckin’  goin’!

  So I built AmericanMotherFucker.com and started selling prints of my paintings, some photos and general bullshit to you at prices that I think are affordable to other fucks as piss poor as I am. This is not so I can buy designer jeans, hookers or big screen T.V.’s…it’s all for the Shovel and fuckin’ all convention straight in the ass.

  I have to ask you to take a look at the site and take a look to see if there is an original charcoal or painting you can afford. Commission an original or maybe just drop a few bucks and get a print or two. I ain’t tryin’ to get rich or complicate my life with the acquisition of “things”. I’m just tryin’ to make the Latowski road worthy again and face fuckin’ those asshats that think this whole motorcycle thing is just a hobby for the rich and pathetic. This ain’t a passing phase…this is the real deal and you know what I am talking about.

  I ain’t some tool livin’ off welfare, tryin’ to fuck you out of your last dime or looking for a free ride. I’m just a painter with a one bike habit tryin’ to do it all over again. Thanks for your continued support. Have a nice day motherfuckers!  “GTP” AmericanMotherFucker.com

I have around eleven hours in just this front wheel!


But I think it's going to be well worth the effort...




Still got some time to go...whatever