No. 2 Pencil on Paper: The Original Monkees Drawing, Summer of 1997

Although to the naked eye, this drawing is nothing more than an adolescent attempt at sketching a photograph, poorly rendered, as well as poorly scanned [I have to rescan this], this drawing is framed in my house, because it was the first drawing I did in my adolescent life that turned me back on to doing visual art again. Of course, it's not that great: not only was I only 14 at the time, I had almost no drawing training and was inexperienced at it as well. And, of course, all criticism can go straight to the subject matter: not only a cliched photograph of the Monkees, but their first album nonetheless. This isn't art, one might say.

Oh, but it is art... This drawing was done during the happiest time of my life. Everyday I would sketch something more, and everyday a new psychedelic, surreal, beautiful experience would happen to me. With the progression of this drawing so was there this progression of my mind and life. Although I'm sure it can't be seen by anyone, the way I poored myself into this drawing it became a map of my consciousness and experiences. Rarely has any of my artwork ever quite reached that exact level of intimacy with me.

I'm not exactly sure why it had been this, but it became almost some kind of pagan object used to channel divine powers.

Of course, there is this signature by Peter Tork on there. There is a signature by Peter on here, because when I met him for the second time, at barely 15, I nervously told him to sign this drawing rather than talk to him. I immediately regretted that, but there was nothing I could do about it. It's ironic, but I truly felt the signature had devalued the drawing significantly at the time, based on the energy I felt existed within the moment it happened in contrast with the energy I felt existed when the drawing was originally done. I believe I began to consider that I should have all four of The Monkees eventually sign this, after it had already been, well, deflowered by Peter [the DRAWING had]. But although I had many opportunities to have this done [including, yes, one very awkward time with Michael Nesmith], I never did pursue that actively.

Maybe one day I will...