Self-portrait

when i was a kid i found that the only time i really felt safe, was when i was either drawing or performing. the rest of life was filled with uncertainty. the drunk and sometimes abusive father. the drunk and sometimes out of control mother. the never ending rollercoaster ride from strange city to stranger city. from one language to the next. from one culture to the next....but if i was holding a pencil in my hand. i was the one that was calling the shots. i was the one who was in control. whatever whim or fancy i held in my head could be explored in graphic detail on the page. in real life i was shy and reserved and scared to death, but in my art, i could do or say anything. it was a wonderful feeling that's never really quite left me.

By Bob Schneider
Submitted 5.15.09