Well, its been a battle - working thru my life trying to get all the ducks in a row and the eggs in their baskets… one thing at a time, I always say. Between working on my book, caring for the house 2 hours away while living off the sale of paintings and managing two rents here in the city, along with myriad other projects - I’ve hardly had time to think about all the other items that need tending to surrounding the main projects - like BLOGS. blog, blog, blog.

(always makes me think of the Ren and Stimpy commercial for LOG… “its Log! its Log! its big, its heavy, its wood… its Log! its Log! its better than bad its good! Go out and get your Log! Your gonna love it - Log! Everyone wants a Log!” pure genius.)

BUT - I digress. I think the point was that I’ve been wanting to have a bLOG for quite a while now. I’m a wordy chap at times - I’ve got millions of weird ideas zooming through my head and I’ve got to get them out to make room for more new information to come in. We’re always receiving information from the universe (our collective self) and by expressing ourselves creatively - thru visual art or music or racecar driving (with biofuels of course) or LOG rolling - we clear space in our mind for newer bigger better ideas. As conscious beings we are some of the universe’s idea processing systems. We are manifestation machines. We are tapping into an endless field of potential from which we pluck ideas and bring them into being in the material world. For instance - this screen you’re looking at… where did it begin? As an idea. As a thought. Every single thing created by the hands of humanity began as a simple thought.

Am I doing this right? Am I supposed to be indulging in quasi-philosophical musings on the root of manifestation? Shouldn’t I be writing about cute girls I want to tickle or my latest career conquest? Who reads this crap anyways? Its all rather new to me so if there are any bLOGologists out there who can point me in the right direction - I welcome your input.

Whats new? Well, I’m doing this super-fun stint at GalleryBar (one word, dammit!) and I’m having a blast! These fine young fellas - Darin, Josh and Derrik - who run this place at 120 Orchard St NYC, called me right when my gallery on Ludlow was closing and asked me if I would hang some work for a ’soft opening’ they were having before their first show of work by Kevin Berlin. I sussed out the situation - I’m quite honestly never very thrilled to show in bars - but I quickly realized this was a different kind of place than the usual dives I’d had work stolen from and damaged in before. I decided to make a show of solidarity and introduce these guys to a selection of neighborhood artists by hanging a group show by some of my pals. I brought in work by Carlucci, Joe Heaps, Primitivo, Goldmine Shithouse and myself and there was a mellow little opening. I hung my portrait of David Bowie on a gold-framed mirror and the guys at GalleryBar decided they wanted it to stay - so they bought it. It now hangs in their downstairs lounge as a permanent installation.

So of course, the next thing I wanted to know was - “when’s my show?” We peeped the calendar and made a date for May 24. After meeting Tracey, their publicist, I decided I would create some kind of event that she could put out there to promote the exhibition. I thought it would be fun to try and set a world record for the most consecutive portraits painted from live models in 24 hours. I contacted Guinness Book of World Records and made an inquiry. It came back that they don’t do ‘art’ when it comes to world records, plus their application process takes months and it ain’t cheap. So I decided to go with a sort of unofficial world record. I was just gonna stay up a long time and paint alot. We put word out that I was going to attempt to paint 100 portraits in 24 hours. Part of my press release included the fact that I would be donating a portion of the $100 suggested donation for each watercolor portrait to help fund the completion of a film called “Raw for 30 Days”. Its a documentary about treating (curing) diabetes nutritionally. Dr. Gabriel Cousens and his crew of raw foodies down at The Tree of Life Cafe in Arizona took six Type 2 diabetics dependent on intravenous insulin and effectively cleansed their bodies of diabetes in 30 days with a raw food diet. So being a raw foodist myself for the past 2 years, I decided that this was an important film to support. More people need to know that they can cure themselves nutritionally instead of becoming dependent on medieval treatments dished out by typical western doctors (most of whom are basically drug dealers for the pharmaceutical industry). Check out their website - www.rawfor30days.com

(I’ve got a lot to say here don’t I? Sorry, making up for lost time.)

So I did it. I stayed up for 40 hours and in the first 24 I painted 108 watercolor portraits. It was crazy and fun and by the time I was done I was seeing visions and giggling like and eighth grade pothead. After getting a good nights sleep on the couch in the gallery, I woke up and decided to keep going. The paintings were starting to add up. I began covering the walls with this growing installation of small paintings that came to surround the larger pieces like wallpaper. Heres a shot of the place about a week into it with watercolors engulfing Syd Barrett and Oscar Wilde…

So now I’m there 5 days a week (wed-sun) waking up on their couch and beginning work around 4pm and keeping on till they close at around 4am. Its the closest thing to a full-time job that I’ve had in a decade. Only difference is now I’m doing what I love, making some decent cash and giving to a good cause - all the while having fun, meeting interesting people and making art! The pieces go up on the wall and then on Wed June 27 from 7-midnight we are having a closing reception when all those portrayed can come and pluck their face from the wall and take it home with them.

I’m there till the 27th - come and be painted - it only takes about 10 minutes - and make a donation to two good causes; me and this amazing film that will change the way people think about disease.

Did I mention the new paintings? They are mostly pretty large canvases (not found objects?!) painted in a new style that I call Visionary Expressionism. I use hi-gloss enamel to portray certain heroes of spirit and culture and I immerse them in an eye-candy swirl of maddening color. I think Its my best work ever and I hope everyone else loves it as much as I do.

ciao ~ Zito