The Whose Who to Invite

A June 2025 Blog

The whose who to invite

“Wow I was accepted in the art show”, or “I’m having an open house”, time to remember some dates, schedule some time, these are things that most of say when planning an event or to be at an event. Who to invite is sometimes a challenge that I’ve failed…cue the Pac Man got eaten sound” wocka”- “wocka”-“ wocka”…

                Like most artist I spend most of my time in self-imposed solitary trying to work out my art to its fullest potential. Coming home with paint on my pants and even attending local music events saying to myself “Darryl, you could present yourself better” The routine becomes habit and one of the main things I think about, besides the things we need to live.

Ok Mom’s yes, siblings yes, close friends yes, and hopefully new friend and acquaintances I met along my art and life journey. Also, maybe even some people that could be instrumental to my art career.

      The best I can do is call, email, text, and use social media to invite, but I can sometimes be a little absent minded if I have not invited you and wanted to show up my apologies.  I’m just not a great secretary.  With the help of a gentlemen who is a former social media professor and an artist I’ve gotten some very helpful advice, and I may have found a remedy.

                If you go to my website  www.darrylzoates.com  go to the contact page and join my email list and I will include you in my invites when my events happen. An additional way of me keeping in touch.

Well this is my short blog for today take care my friends, and I plan to have more events soon.

Time Along a Journey’s Path

It's funny or should I say enlightening what I discover when creating art. Many years ago when I was working in a proverbial nine to five jobs as an engineer I would attend figure drawing sessions at least once a week to keep my hand-eye to form creation at the ready for a time when had more time as an artist. In those sessions I'd say there would be seven to fifteen artist drawing a nude human form in several short segmented times. The model would creatively change pose on their own, and in long poses the group agreed on a pose, usually a pose with bits of suggestions from everyone, "arm there", "legs like this", "face that direction", and etc.. Drawing those many poses over years I accumulated many, many drawings with expressive lines that followed the human form and other drawings that where half way complete.

During the covid year around 2022 I finally-finally open a small studio with in a quiet place with intention of creating completed paintings and drawings and maybe even a sculpture here and there that had well thought out compositions and theme. My art would be the best that could do and I would have no excuses. One thing I decided to do was three triptychs, that is, a theme composed over three different canvases which would account for nine paintings total. They would be of the human form and have elements of human psyche nature and wonder. Stay tuned I have completed two triptychs or six paintings I may not get to the third.

I not only wanted to highlight some of my artistic ambitions in this blog but a discovery.

In the second triptych I wanted to add a pocket a watch, an item that I think congers up thoughts of a style of the past, an ingenuity of the past, and a symbol time that bounds us all. Thoughts ran through my head "hmmmm...where to look", the internet? "maybe but the real thing would be better", so I thought may be an antique shop or a pawn shop would have one, but I didn't want and couldn't to spend a high price for something I'd hold on to only for a moment. I thought and I thought...hmmmm, what about a museum. I doubted that Connecticut would have anything, but two my surprise I discovered Bristol Connecticut had a watch museum. Wow. I called for times and arranged a time to check it out with camera in hand.

I arrived at the museum Saturday afternoon I walked to the front desk were I paid a modest entrance fee ten or twelve dollars if remember correctly. I notice that this woman was probably half black and half white and guess she noted that I was a black man because she told me a few black facts. She enthusiastically told me of the history of the museum and how the founder was a dedicated company executive that he owned a watch company in Connecticut, and how he actually died dedicated in office. She also told me that there was a time that Connecticut was considered the watch capital of the world (many years before my existence). Connecticut made standing clocks like the grandfather clock and short tall and small. There where other places all around the area and some made pocket watches in Connecticut. She even told me there was a black inventor who patented a unique mechanism for a standing clock which he produced and there was a black company that made wrist watches. I marveled at the clocks as toured the museum. Some seemed prestigious, some ceremonious like the military clocks that were there and some whimsical like the old cat clock from early 19th century.

Lastly I visited the pocket watch display. They were fascinating. Some silver some gold. I took pictures I needed with my camera and with some artistic license I added a pocket watch to my painting.

If your interested in visiting the museum here is the address:

Highlights: Offers tours · Admission fee · Gift shop

Address: 100 Maple St, Bristol, CT 06010

Founded: 1952

Phone: (860) 583-6070

Hours: Closed ⋅ Opens 10 AM Sun

Art NOW?

Unknown large size drones flying in NY and NJ no real answers, are they doing some diabolical survey?, a buddy system government, will kings and friends of the king rule?, ultimate power, and threats of the big pay back, and not from James brown. I would argue that this kind of rule has always existed on some level in the past and now, but will it become much more serious.

Those thoughts brought to my mind will artists continue to respond and reflect on how they think things really are or shy away and make "acceptable art" as dictated by the status quo out of fear now. Most of my art so far has not been very controversial, although I have created art works in response to how black people have been over policed and shot lately, and in this day and age some may even think me showing nudity controversial, but like the vocal artists Steven Wonder, who help the movement of making Martin Luther King's birthday a holiday with a song his art showed how powerful it could be. Unfortunately tyrants know this and have included artist on their to stop list or stifle if doesn't profit them. I take the pledge to continue create and not to dumb ideas and thoughts. I encourage my fellow artist to do the same and be free when creating. You don't know who or how your art will help someone or something. I believe in the coming years your art as you see it is needed.

Here and NOW

It has been a while since I created a website of my art. My interest and talent in art has been long as I can remember. I sat down and wondered how I could spread the word that I’m here as an artist to share, and sell my work which is mostly paintings and a lot of figure drawings. The figures drawings were done to keep in practice as I worked a 9 to 5 to make a living. In my younger years I walked the beaten path and knock on doors to find spaces like coffee houses, libraries, and public office spaces to show work. I have also shown in small galleries about Connecticut and a group in New York city. I recently have decided to enter art contests to share work and further opportunities. I am grateful to say I have won best in show in 113th Connecticut Academy of the Arts. I aim for professionalism. In recent years I have even established a small studio/gallery (which is the image of this post) to have a place to paint, sell, and have openings to meet and /or sell to patrons. As I continue to become more established I welcome you to browse this site and leave messages.