The perception I have of myself keeps changing. You've come to this website to find information about The Artist Formerly Known as Vince. Well, he's not here anymore. Just me is here now. Just me. I notice all these people clamoring by the hundreds of thousands, all just clamoring to be seen as an Artist. Capital A. They talk about being an artist and how special they are because they have a special superpower called "seeing as an artist." Personally, that makes me sick.

     I'm not an artist. I used to think I was but then I realized, like all the others, I'm just an egomaniac. I am so proud of myself for realizing my ego-trip and now I have a new ego-trip: not having an ego-trip. It's like saying others are pretentious. As soon as you say, "Oh, they're so pretentious!" then you are being pretentious. So I am pretentious about people being pretentious about being "Artists."

     I used to be a damn fine guitarist but that skill set is just so damned high-maintanance. I eventually came to feel a sense of futility in it after meeting and playing a tune for concert musician, Tommy Emmanuel. It's like the time I played golf to a 7 handicap, I couldn't play as often as I needed to to maintain that skill level. One day I shot a 45 on the front 9 and a 66 on the back 9. I went home and threw my clubs in the shed and have not touched them since. That was 8 or 9 years ago. I know what it takes to keep the skill sharp and just didn't have the time or the money to play 5 days a week. Same with guitar. Only more so. The amount of time required to maintain a skill set at the level of Tommy's requires full-time job focus and work. I had a full-time job already: in a factory. I have a mortgage and two children to provide for. It just didn't work out for me. I lack some special quality required to make a living at it. Mostly time, and a willingness to live out of my car for a few years.

     During various phases of my life, I've gone through periods where I've been wildly creative and extremely prolific in music, television and video, writing and now as I've grown older, I am concentrating in the fine art media of painting pretty pictures. Winding it down a bit in my old age. My wild nights are pretty much all behind me and quiet nights at home with my family or in the spare bedroom painting pretty pictures is how you put a rock and roll wildman out to pasture.

     I am doing this now because painting is what has proven to be the most rewarding thing for me, personally. I'm not an artist, I just paint. And I like to draw. I take classes. Real artists don't take classes. They don't even teach them. They are far too self-absorbed in their own work: creating mindblowing art. (Chuck Close, Dale Chihuly, Odd Nerdrum.) I prefer to let my amateurish little work stand on it's own and speak for itself. If it's shitty, so be it. It's definitely not mind-blowing. It's basically interior decoration for your walls. Even so, I prefer to let it stand on it's own merit. I want it to be processed in the consciousness of the observer without verbal distraction by an outside agent. I paint pretty pictures. 99.999% of what we call art is nothing more than interior decoration for those who can afford such fineries. Stuff you hang on the wall that goes with your furniture. .001% is a truly mind-blowing masterpiece of an inspired and rare talent who is worthy of being called an Artist. What I do is not a big deal, so I don't see a need to ego-trip about it. I feel most "artist's statements" are self-glorifying bullshit that is pandering for a sale with platitudes and cliche aphorisms. Stroke it.

     That being said, I hope you this enjoy this site. I designed it from the ground up in notepad and maintain it myself. If you decide you care about what I'm doing, I am currently working on building my online store where you can quietly purchase my available work, if you feel moved. I've never sold a painting. People have asked to buy my paintings, taken a lot of my time but always disappear at the last minute. If there is anything I can do for you, I'd be happy to confer with you. I paint portraits in oil for $1000 and have paintings available for sale. I can even sing you a song or dance at your wedding.

     I believe seeing as an artist means being fully human, painting what is really there, playing a song that induces someone have strong feelings, writing a book or producing a film that makes someone feel deeply. I believe being an artist is to find a way to express and share a spine-tingling essence we could call our own humanity. Anything short of that is part of the 99.999% of people who self-indulgently classify themselves as Artists. If you see me calling myself an Artist, slap me. It will help me grow as an Artist.

     The content of this website is my way of leaving some sign that I walked the earth for a time. Like deer sign or bear sign, this site is Vin sign. Just a bunch crap in the middle of the Information Superhighway.

     If you wish to comment on anything you might have come into contact with on this website, you can write me should you feel moved to do so. I'll console you.