Farewell, Philadelphia

I caught these characters in the window of a tavern, past the Franklin Fountain, toward the trolley stop, and on my way back to the Pink House. Suspended in time but alive. Inner worlds and outer worlds, old worlds and new. Toasting the end of my Philadelphia stay, stopping, going, moving on.

Here, the last from my Studio Incamminati handouts, spoken by Henry Hensche in an interview with Charles Movalli, in American Artist Magazine, 1977.

I'm reminded of a story Robert Frost told me. He and a friend had both set out with grand artistic plans. Frost persevered and, of course, became a poet. His friend didn't. They met late in life and the friend, somewhat shamefaced, told Frost that he'd like to have stuck to their ideals, "But I had to live." Frost waited a second. "Well," he replied, "have you?"

If you hold to your ideals, you'll never really fail -no one fails when he spends his life in pursuit of the good and beautiful.

I hope so, Henry Hensche. I hope so...