June 4, 2011

People come to my studio as I paint. They ask if it’s disturbing me, but it never is. I like it. A bunch of kids come from the Asheville High photography club. They are so cute I don’t know what to do with myself. One kid sees me dipping my paint into the turpentine I pour into condiment jars and says, eyes wide with astonishment, “You paint with pickle juice?” Couple from Durham, NH yesterday. She interprets one canvas as my analysis of the conflict between Muslims and Jews. The title?: A Dream of Florence.

Finished the rewrite of Night, Sleep. It is 25 pages longer than its previous form. I thought I had been mostly taking things out.

Late afternoon. One whole read-through of Night, Sleep was dedicated to removing the word “had.” Chopped out 103 instances, and probably missed a number.